The Geas
by Dragonsdaughter
Summary: Life hasn’t been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a
1. Once Upon a Time

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult , 

Notes: The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

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Prologue: Once Upon a Time…

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Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a little girl who was very special.

She didn't know she was special, not until she got older, but she was special nonetheless. Her father didn't know that she was special either, so he raised her like any other little girl; with sweets, and hugs, and shoulder rides. The little girl and her father loved each other very much, especially since they were all the other had in the world.

You see, the little girl's mother had died shortly after the little girl was born leaving the Father to care for their child. He was young and idealistic and so he shouldered the burden with a smile even though his heart bled when other men might have left their child with a female relative or a neighbor.

Still, there were other things to occupy the little girl's mind. Her father ran a Dojo where he taught _Kenjutsu _and there was nothing the little girl loved more than to perch in the open door of the training hall and watch her father and his students drill their forms. The steady and repetitive motion entranced her. It was no great leap of the imagination for her to mentally translate those movements into the graceful and flowing movement of a sword battle.

Sometimes she took a small stick that she'd whittled down herself and copied those movements until she had them memorized perfectly. Then she would practice the movements by attacking the falling leaves in the courtyard.

The little girl's father didn't re-marry or adopt a son to carry on his Dojo. Sometimes it seemed to the little girl that he was waiting for her mother, his wife, to return. Between lessons and meals, she would often find him sitting on the veranda in front of their house as he watched the front gates.

When little girl became older, dark times fell across the face of the land. Two warring factions clashed for control of the country. They battled on and off again until the little girl's seventh year when the second faction defeated the first and peace settled over them again. However, the world was a different place under the guidance of the new government. The Samurai class was disbanded and swords were outlawed.

Suddenly there was little need for sword lessons and fewer students for the Dojo. Education was in demand now and the little girl found herself landed in lessons. She already knew how to read and figure; her father had taught her, but now she found herself learning physical science, literature both eastern and western, and more mathematics than she knew existed.

The little girl strove to do well in her classes so she could bring honor to her father, but her heart yearned for the simple feel of muscles and tendons stretching beneath her skin as she practiced her sword work. However, as she studied she found another pleasure to be found in the exercise of her mental faculties.

For a while, it seemed life could not be better for the little girl. Hers was a carefree life of sword practice, studies, and laughter. If the Dojo was a little shabby and there wasn't money for things like fish every night or a new kimono every year, it didn't matter to her. She had everything her heart could desire.

One might have said that she lived in a dream, and that would not be an entirely incorrect statement for like all dreams, this one had to end.

When the young girl turned eight her father remarried. It seemed like a bolt from the blue to the little girl. One day her father went on a trip to Kyoto to meet an old friend and when he returned he brought a bride back with him.

Komagata Yumi, now Kamiya Yumi was everything a woman should be. She was refined, elegant, and beautiful. The little girl was in awe of her from the moment her father handed her down from the carriage in front of their home.

What was more the little girl's new stepmother brought a great deal of wealth to the household. Suddenly the Dojo wasn't quite so shabby. Although her father had done his best to keep up with the repairs, he was no handyman. Under her stepmother's orders, professional workers came and suddenly the little girl's home became a new place with polished floors and elegant fixtures.

At first the little girl was prepared to open her whole heart to this new woman who made the Dojo glow and her father smile, but quickly she learned otherwise. Her stepmother was only gentle and kind when the little girl's father was about. As soon as he turned his back, the little girl experienced her stepmother's cutting insults and vicious slaps. If the Dojo glowed, then it was because of wood polish and not the love that had once infused its halls.

Even worse was that when she ran to her father to show him the bruises on her face it was as though he were blind to her injuries. When she tried to tell him of her stepmother's poor treatment not only of her but the new servants who tended the house her tongue sealed to the top of her mouth and she found herself unable to speak at all. Always her father would ruffle her hair and send her off to play.

Not even a week after the little girl's stepmother arrived, new strife broke out in the nation. In Satsuma, the disfranchised samurai rose up against the new Meiji Government and the little girl's father was called away to fight. He was slain in battle almost immediately.

The little girl was shattered, but her stepmother received the news with undisguised glee. That very night, the little girl found herself dragged from her small room by her stepmother and thrown into the empty kitchen. The servants had all been dismissed and she found herself ordered to take their place. When she rose to protest her Stepmother did something strange. The woman spoke a word that the little girl didn't hear so much as with her ears, but inside of her head. The word made her muscles freeze and her mind go blank. It was then that the little girl realized that her stepmother was one of the Mages left over from the Revolution.

She'd read about the Mages in her History books, which said that most of them had died in the fighting. Only legendary figures such as The Battousai of the Ishin Shishi and The Mibu of the Shinsengumi were said to have survived. Apparently her books had lied.

That night she received the orders that were to define her life from then on. She was no longer 'Kamiya Kaoru', heir to the Kamiya Kasshin Dojo she was just plain Kaoru, the scullery maid. She was never to speak of her true identity nor was she to speak of her Stepmother's powers. She could not leave the Dojo without specific permission and orders and she was only permitted to clean in most parts of the house.

Shortly after that, the little girl found her home invaded by two newcomers. Her stepmother as it turned out had two daughters. Neither knew they had a stepsister and regarded the little girl as a lower sort of servant, which is to say they mostly ignored her. The eldest was cool and a bit withdrawn, which was a far cry from her younger sister's natural exuberance. Of the two, the little girl could have learned to love the youngest sister, but the spell kept her far away.

Years passed thus and the little girl became a young lady. Slowly she began to forget what it had been like to be a loved child. As her hands became hard and cracked from the work, so too did her heart acquire a stony outer layer.

As the sun dawned on her seventeenth birthday, the little girl had lost all hope for a better future and as such she wasn't paying attention when destiny finally decided to turn the tables in her favor.

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End Prologue

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_Seiyuu__: Once again I'm posting and once again this story is already completed! I'll be posting the chapters every week or so. Stay tuned to see what happens!_


	2. Embers

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult , 

Notes: The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

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Chapter One: Embers

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It was market day.

Kaoru had been counting down the weekdays and it was finally Saturday: the day when Yumi temporarily loosened the magical bonds that kept Kaoru bound tight to the borders marked by the outside walls of the Dojo. On any other day she couldn't get within five paces of the front gate.

She was ready. The house was fairly sparkling with cleanliness and every item in the kitchen had been buffed into high polish. The linens were so white they hurt the eyes and Kaoru had taken advantage of the hot laundry water to wash. Previous shopping days had been cut short because Yumi had demanded that she look presentable. To that end Kaoru wore her one good kimono, the one with no patches or visible mends and still had a bit of its original lavender hue. Kaoru had even washed her hair and tied it back with a ribbon filched from Shura's jewel box.

_Nothing_ was going to impede on her precious few hours of freedom.

Yumi looked her over from the cool shade of the veranda where she idly sipped tea and fanned herself in the summer heat. Kaoru stifled an envious glance at the opulent kimono the woman wore. No worn-out darned hand-me-downs for Kamiya Yumi. No, she wore scarlet Chinese silk patterned over with gold dragonflies with a deep green obi that matched the hue of her immaculately coiffed hair. Kaoru's stepmother pursed her full lips as though she were considering matter of deep importance above and beyond letting her little stepdaughter _cum_ general servant out of the house for a few hours to do the grocery shopping.

"You know the rules." Yumi said at length. She considered the pond garden as she spoke, as though she couldn't even be bothered to look at Kaoru a second longer than absolutely necessary. "You will be home in three hours with everything on your list. You will not speak unless spoken to and -needless to say- you will not go telling tales."

"Yes, Ma'am," Kaoru forced a pleasant tone through her teeth. Sass would only cut her time down. She'd do what ever it took to get every last minute she could. If it meant making Yumi think she had her beat then Kaoru could do it and smile while she did.

Yumi's painted mouth curled in a cruel smile and she snapped her manicured fingers. Instantly, Kaoru felt the bonds of the geas binding her to Yumi's will loosen and settle into new boundaries. Kaoru knew from experience that she wouldn't be able to go further than the dockside market, but it was better than the four walls of her kitchen! She bowed and mouthed the obsequious thanks that she knew Yumi wanted to hear. Without waiting for her stepmother to change her mind, Kaoru scurried out of the Dojo careful to keep her eyes down and her shoulders hunched until she was well out of eyesight.

As soon as she was out onto the main streets, Kaoru straightened her back and threw her shoulders back. Her stride lengthened and she dropped into the alley behind her home where she'd stashed a shinai by the midden heap. She'd need it.

Shinai on one shoulder and basket swinging from an elbow, Kaoru sauntered onto the city streets. As usual, no one noticed her unless she bodily threw herself into their path. She refrained from making faces at the passers-by even though she knew from experience that they wouldn't notice much less respond. She hurried her steps until the streets widened out into the wide avenues of Tokyo's main shopping district.

Kaoru paused at the edge of the marketplace to take in the bustling crowd, the sights, the smells, and the sounds of humanity going about its day to day routine. Fishwives screeched at one another while their husbands hawked trout. Pigs squealed from their pens as prospective customers inspected their supper. Somewhere in the crowd a musician was playing a mandolin on a street-corner and Kaoru could hear a group of girls giggling over a new shipment of lace. The scent of exotic spices lingered on the air and if she closed her eyes she could pretend that she was actually shopping in India or England, somewhere as far away from Japan as she could get!

With a sigh she made her way into the crowd, elbowing past farmers, shop girls, and gaijin as she fought her way to the miso stands. Luckily, Yumi had standing orders at most place for her purchases to be delivered, but someone had to physically go and confirm the deliveries every week. That was where Kaoru came in.

Some places wouldn't deliver, in fact they couldn't. In the cases of fruit vendors, their items were seasonal and the quality of the product varied from stall to stall. It was always best to have someone go and personally select them. Since she never saw them grace her plate, Kaoru took vindictive pleasure in selecting dry oranges and mushy apples. Any watermelons she bought were guaranteed to be overripe and grainy inside. It said something about Yumi that the witch believed her stepdaughter when she said there was nothing better to be had. The woman firmly believed that the upper classes still reserved the best imports for themselves even though the 'upper classes' were now all merchants and profited by selling the best produce.

Still, Kaoru had to make the rounds and if she came home with substandard goods well, Yumi could make her shop, but she couldn't make her do it well. The same went for cooking. A vicious grin curved Kaoru's lips as she recalled the sour expression on Yumi's face when she'd been confronted by last night's pitiful excuse for a meal. Kaoru had actually managed to burn the miso even! It had resulted in yet another beating, but by now Kaoru barely even felt it. Yumi didn't have the muscle to raise more than a mild welt on her back. It stung a bit when she stretched, but unless someone touched her then Kaoru didn't even notice it.

The fruit stands were first on her list and she came away with some old oranges and a sad little watermelon. After that she met with the rice wholesaler to ensure that his boys could make their Sunday morning deliveries and ended up listening with a false expression of sympathy as he told her that, due to an injury in the family, their bales might be as late as mid-afternoon. After that it was to the fishmonger for the night's main attraction, a fat salmon that Kaoru almost regretted having to cook. In turn he swore that his deliveries would be on time and in full. So went her visits to the Miso merchant, the book lender, and the vegetable vendor.

Before she finished her errands, Kaoru idled by the jewelry stands and mused quietly on a set of tortoise shell combs, studded with turquoise gems and a block of jasmine and milk soap that looked ever so much more inviting than the harsh lye that she used. So involved did she become on her inner world that she didn't notice that she was standing in a man's path until he walked or rather ran straight into her.

He hit her broadside and they went down in a tumble of sleeves, coattails, and curses. The contents of Kaoru's basket went flying and with dismay she felt the worn fabric of her kimono give at the seam. Nearly all the pathetic fruits she'd purchased rolled into the cart paths to be squashed beneath the hooves and wheels of a turnip wagon. The man landed on top of her driving the air from her lungs. Kaoru lay stunned on the ground, laboring for breath as the man staggered to his feet.

It seemed like an eternity before her lungs would expand and she could draw that first sweet breath of air. She took a second and a third before levering herself into a sitting position to take stock of the damage.

The fruits she'd bought were almost all smashed. One or two of the oranges lay by her side and she numbly scooped them into her basket. As she moved, her kimono pulled in an unfamiliar way and her stomach plummeted as she found the ragged tear in the shoulder. The fabric had given at the seams and frayed further at the merest touch. Rage kindled in the pit of her stomach and she whipped around to face the blackguard who'd knocked her down, only to find that he'd been talking the entire time and she hadn't been listening.

"… so very sorry, miss, it was entirely my fault!" Strong hands closed around her arms and Kaoru found herself lifted easily to her feet. Concerned violet eyes regarded her through a curtain of fiery red bangs. The man pulled a plain linen handkerchief from the pocket of his waistcoat and used it to brush a spot of dirt off her cheek. Kaoru blushed furiously and snatched the bit of cloth away.

CRACK!

The hand print on the man's cheek was almost as red as his hair. Kaoru's palm stung a bit, but it was nothing compared to the frustration and anger that was flooding her soul. The man who'd knocked her down gingerly touched the angry mark on his face and regarded her with wide surprised eyes.

"You ASS!" she shrieked, heedless of the people passing by. He could be raping her and they wouldn't notice. Yumi's magic made sure that she couldn't attract attention even if she didn't _want_ to. Fury cast a red film over her vision as all her repressed anger and stress came boiling to the front. "My groceries are ruined not to mention my kimono! My _one_ good kimono! How _dare_ you?" Much to her disgust tears welled up in her eyes and the rest of her tirade was lost in the storm of tears that swept over her.

"Miss?" Despite everything, the man's voice was gentle. Kaoru was vaguely aware of him prying the handkerchief out of her hand.

The soft brush of starched fabric underneath her eyes startled her. He was smiling at her, despite the fact that she'd just slapped him. Kaoru sniffed and grabbed the handkerchief back to scrub the tear marks from her face. He let her have it. Once she felt suitably composed, Kaoru gathered as much dignity as she had left and looked him in the face.

She hadn't taken a very good look until then, but she found her was very short for a man. He was only a few fingers width taller than her; just enough that he had to incline his head a fraction of an inch to look her in the eyes. He wore his red hair long and tied the thick stuff back at the nape of his neck. For all that he looked and dressed like a gaijin, his accent betrayed him as native Japanese. His smile was mild and kind when he accepted his handkerchief back. "Are you feeling better now, Miss?" he asked.

Kaoru nodded briskly. "I'm fine now. If you'll excuse me…" she made as if to leave, but his hand closed around her arm once more and she felt the already maltreated fabric of her torn sleeve give all together.

The man swore as the lavender fabric came away in his hand and blushed with shame under Kaoru's malevolent glare. He grinned nervously and hid the sleeve behind his back as though he hoped she wouldn't notice it was gone. "I… ah… er… I wanted to say that I owe you for the fruit and the dress of course. I'll replace both! If you'll just wait a moment…"

She snorted, but slowed her steps. Honestly, she didn't have enough money to replace the fruit the idiot had destroyed. The kimono was no big loss. It had torn so easily that Kaoru doubted it would have lasted the day otherwise. "Fine, you can replace the fruit, but forget about the dress. I have others."

A frown creased the man's brow. "I distinctly remember you mentioning that this was your 'one good kimono.'" He snuck a glance at the thin and frayed sleeve he was hiding behind his back. "May I assume that the others are in worse condition than this?" Kaoru _glared_ at him and he subsided.

The man fell in step beside her as Kaoru made her way determinedly toward the smallest, meanest little fruit stand in the marketplace. She knew the owner there. He only bought his produce after all the other vendors had picked over the shipments and the importers were desperate. He understood vengeance and made sure to reserve his very worst produce for her.

Idiot-sama, as Kaoru had taken to calling him in the privacy of her own mind chattered like a crow at her side. Mostly she ignored him, but occasionally he'd say or refer to something so incredibly wrong that she couldn't help but correct him.

"No, damn it!" she snapped as he started in on Herbert Spencer. "The man was not charitable at all! Who do you think coined the phrase 'survival of the fittest?' He literally believes that by donating to the poor he'd drag down the rest of society! For god's sake the man's a lunatic!"

Idiot-sama cocked a brow at her. "Unless I'm mistaken, I believe Darwin-san was responsible for that phrase. Although they do study the same phenomenon…"

Kaoru wanted to kick him. "No, they do not! That's a common misperception! Darwin-san is often accredited with the saying, but it was Spencer-san who coined it as a salve to his elitist conscience! Spencer-san is a sociologist! Darwin is a natural scientist! Those are two different fields entirely!"

The infuriating man only smiled and Kaoru suddenly realized that he'd known the truth from the beginning. He'd deliberately led her to think that he was ignorant… but why would he do that? Unless… She scowled again. "You bastard!" she hissed at him watching his eyes widen in surprise. "You're doing that deliberately! Are you trying to make a fool out of me!?"

That smile only widened. "I _knew_ you'd catch on." He said cryptically. Something in his expression changed and Kaoru could have sworn that his eyes flickered gold for a split instant before he turned his face towards the Fruit stand. "You don't want these." He said before Kaoru could ask him what he'd meant.

Idiot-sama surveyed the meager contents of the stand while Kaoru's friend tried to make himself disappear. He picked up an orange and weighed it in his hand. "See, look! They're so light they must be completely dry inside!" he said with disgust and dropped it. "No, we're going somewhere else."

"But…!" Kaoru attempted to protested, but Idiot-sama's hand closed firmly around her wrist and she found herself dragged away before she could get out another word. They plunged into the crowd and Kaoru found herself tugged along in her companion's wake like a toy boat. They emerged by the storefronts where the crowds thinned. At first Kaoru thought he'd take her back to another stall, but her heart leapt into her throat when he dragged her into a first class fruit importer. The store he took her into wasn't the sort of place where one bought after supper treats. These fruits were shipped in crates packed with paper and straw. Each one was flawless. This was the sort of place where one bought offerings for the temple!

Kaoru watched numbly as Idiot-sama lived up to his nick name and paid for six succulent blood oranges which the proprietor placed carefully into her basket and packed it with paper. He spared a sympathetic glance at the stunned expression on her face, but the merchant was apparently well-used to Idiot-sama's foibles. It didn't end there, soon Kaoru found herself weighed down with a watermelon in a net bag that had to weigh twice what the first one had!

When she looked up to protest at the weight (honestly, it would be murder hauling the thing home!) she noticed that keen look had rekindled in Idiot-sama's eyes. He was waiting for her to say something. Kaoru narrowed her eyes and refused to give him the satisfaction!

"Thank you." She used the same saccharine sweet tone she had to force with Yumi. Idiot-sama frowned a little when she bowed. "Consider your debt repaid, sir. I must be going." She turned to go, but this time she knew to twist before he could catch her. "Hands off!" she said primly over her shoulder only to be brought up short when he appeared in front of her, charming grin intact.

"I still owe you a new dress." He reminded her. "Also, I don't know your name yet." He wiggled his eyebrow. "You can't leave before we've been properly introduced. Here, let me go first…" he blocked her with his body as she made to go around him. "My name is Himura Kenshin." He made a half bow and jumped back into her path when she tried to take advantage of it.

Kaoru felt the geas take hold of her as she instinctively opened her mouth to spit her name at him. That familiar feeling came over her and it was as though her mouth had suddenly filled with glue. "I don't have a name." she said finally and the pressure eased. "I don't want a new dress. Good-bye!"

Idiot-sama… or rather, Himura-san blocked her again, but this time his smile was gone. "Everyone has a name, my dear, and they have power." He said seriously. "Having given you mine, I must insist that you return the favor." His fingers tangled with hers on the woven handle of the watermelon bag. "Besides, if you must go then let me walk you back." He was too close. Kaoru felt her stomach do queer things as she felt the warmth radiating through his palm as it seeped into her knuckles. Instinctively her free hand came up to push him away but he caught her wrist and held it fast, idly rubbing a circle in the center of her palm with his thumb. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me your name." He said softly. The playful trickster of earlier was gone, replaced by someone Kaoru knew even less than the first although she'd been catching glimpses of him all day.

His eyes weren't just flickering gold now; they were solid amber and looked as though they could plunge into the depths of her soul. His smile was anything but mischievous… it was more anticipatory. Oh he wanted something and with a blush, Kaoru realized just how very naïve she'd been. "Hands off, I said!" she hissed. "I said it, I meant it, and if you want to keep those hands then you'll remove them from my person!"

"Not until you give me your name." he murmured in a voice only she could hear and for some reason it made her shiver. "I was serious about names having power. I'd be a fool to let you go until you gave me equal power over you."

"… and if I didn't?" Kaoru challenged him.

"Then I would have to take you home with me and keep you by my side until you did." He smiled slow and made something tighten in Kaoru's belly. "I may do that yet…"

Kaoru couldn't find words to reply, but for once she was saved by the sensation of her geas tightening around her chest. It was her fifteen minute warning: if she didn't start moving right that second she'd find herself literally dragged back. Himura-san wasn't budging and the geas was constricting. She pulled at his grasp, but he was stronger than her and made it worse my moving with her momentum so that she almost fell. A hand settled in the small of her back pressing up against the welts Yumi had dealt her the night before. Tears sprang into her eyes and between the pain, the geas, and his mule-headed stubbornness enough pressure and frustration built inside her that it had to be let free.

"Kaoru!" she cried out. "My name is Kaoru!"

Violet overtook the yellow in his gaze and he smiled. "Kaoru…" he rolled the word on his tongue as though he was tasting it and committing it to memory. "A strong name; it suits you." True to his word he released her. "I'll be seeing you around, _Kaoru_."

She fled.

Kenshin watched as the strange girl… no, _Kaoru_ vanished into the crowd. He lost sight of her almost immediately when she ducked behind a large man and didn't reappear. He was honestly impressed, it took a great deal of skill to evade him for even a short period of time. 'After all' he thought dryly, 'They didn't call me Battousai for nothing.'

Himura Kenshin, formerly Himura the Battousai had been in retirement for over ten years. In that time he'd been called out once or twice, but mainly the Meiji Government had left him in peace with a rather large stipend and several nice properties to keep him company. Mostly he had very little to do except manage his estates, dodge his neighbors' single daughters, and deal with occasional 'problem' attracted by his bloody past. He was a man of leisure and it suited him badly, but he could never find a hobby that consumed him.

What few friends he had advised him to marry. A woman would serve nicely to keep him on his toes, but until recently he'd been singularly disinterested in the avaricious, hard-eyed little strumpets who kept flinging themselves in his path. Despite his fearsome reputation he had a reasonable fortune and tolerable good looks, which meant that no matter where he went he found himself surrounded by dulcet voices, sickeningly sweet perfume, and batting lashes.

Now… now there was something interesting in his life. Angry, sarcastic, and thorny as hell: Kaoru was the antithesis of the women he had to dodge daily. First she'd had the audacity to strike him when any other woman in town would have instantly recognized the characteristic scar on his face. In all the years he'd been living in Tokyo he'd never had to introduce himself to anyone. The downside of that was that his reputation usually preceded him and the common folk whose freedom he'd shed blood for shrank away from him. She hadn't recognized his face or name, or if she had, she didn't care.

Secondly she was completely oblivious to her own needs. He was positive that she wasn't shopping on her own behalf. Her hands were the hands of a working woman; hard, callused, and cracked from the abuse she inflicted on them daily. _There_ was a woman who wasn't afraid to get dirty. However, when it came to her kimono there was no budging her. She quite obviously did not take charity.

He'd have to be sneaky about replacing that dress.

There was more about her that intrigued him. Her wit for example was razor sharp even it she instinctively lashed out with it. She was educated as well, which was odd for a woman of her class, but not unheard of. Something about the way she moved also told him that she was quite capable of following through on any threat she might make to his person. Not all of the calluses on her hands were from brooms.

"Are you quite finished?" The voice came from behind him and Kenshin didn't have to turn to know his good friend, Shinomori Aoshi had finally tired of playing spy.

"For the moment," Kenshin sighed happily. Teasing his young lady had resulted in more fun that he'd had in years. He was looking forward to their next match already, which reminded him…

Kenshin drew the tattered lavender sleeve from his copious pockets and handed it to Aoshi. "Can you use this to find her?" he didn't need to say who 'she' was. Aoshi had been quietly following them from a distance since the moment Kenshin had knocked Kaoru down while evading one of his old comrade's daughters.

Aoshi took the sleeve and considered it silently. Kenshin turned to face him and found that the Mage had picked up a shinai from somewhere and was idly tapping it against his thigh. "I'm afraid I cannot. It hasn't had enough contact with her and until recently belonged to someone else. The impressions of her are too light for me to strain." He lifted the shinai before Kenshin could interject. "The young lady dropped this. It has been in her possession for a long while. I can sense her hands on the hilt as far back as eight years. I believe it knows its way home."

Trust Aoshi not to disappoint, although he was being abnormally helpful. Usually the ex-spy only concerned himself with Kenshin's physical safety. He'd never intervened with Kenshin's women problems before.

Shinomori Aoshi was a relic from the Bakumatsu just the same as Kenshin, although Aoshi had functioned as a Spy Master and defense coordinator for the Shogun. Even though they'd been on different sides during the fighting, there had always been a measure of mutual respect on both sides as they'd matched wits and swords over the years. After the battles were done, they settled into an uneasy truce that had eventually blossomed into genuine friendship. Still, Aoshi was a man of few words and while he had taken on the job of safeguarding Kenshin's properties and by extension him, the man rarely intruded on his personal life.

"Thank you," Kenshin said shortly almost warily. "You're being awfully helpful today, Shinomori. Is there something I should know?"

The corner of Aoshi's mouth twitched in what passed for a smile. "Nothing… yet." He regarded the shinai in his hand. "A puzzle perhaps… there are layers upon layers of spiritual impressions on this weapon. Some are magical and fairly recent." His smile faded. "The signature is familiar somehow, though I cannot place it: familiar and foul."

Kenshin frowned. "The girl?" He guessed while privately hoping it was not so. He hadn't noticed any of the tell tale marks in her aura that spell casting left behind, but neither was he very skilled in the _Arts Magica_. He had a certain measure of latent talent that allowed him to recognize offensive energy when it was coming straight at him, but little else. Aoshi was a mage far and beyond Kenshin's meager skills, although he was a far superior swordsman than the ninja.

"No." The reply was instantaneous. Aoshi shook his head for good measure. "She has some small potential, but she is like you. She'll never go beyond a few cantrips and spells. Still, her will is pure and focused. She may be a student of some sort of martial arts. No, I think she may be associated with a mage or under his power. The taint seemed to overshadow the traces of her energy. I was not close enough to her to see anything else."

The flicker of pain and desperation in Kaoru's eyes flitted through Kenshin's memory. He'd only touched her. Was she under a curse or a compulsion of some kind? That might have explained her reluctance to give her name. A woman under the thumb of a black magician would well know the dangers of giving her name to a stranger. That was probably the way she'd gotten into her current situation.

'Not in my town,' Kenshin thought darkly. He'd spent his youth eliminating such magi. They'd fattened on the blood and death generated by the revolution and hadn't lacked for victims to drain dry in service to their masters. Some rare few had escaped the slaughter, but they generally were old and canny. They kept a low profile, but it wasn't inconceivable that one had taken up residence under his very nose.

"Find her." He snapped, suddenly irritable. "If what you say is true then if you find her, you find the mage."

Aoshi nodded and vanished into the crowd leaving Kenshin with only his bad temper and a torn sleeve for company. The former Hitokiri considered the fabric in his hand for a long while before smiling grimly.

"I'll see you again." He said to himself.

* * *

End Chapter One

* * *

_Seiyuu__: Here's the next section. There aren't any bits edited out this chapter and there won't be until chapter three or four so don't worry about looking for the full version for a while. I promise, I will provide a link to the full chapters. _


	3. Defiance

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult , 

Notes: The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

* * *

Chapter Two: Defiance

* * *

Kaoru didn't stop running until she was very nearly home. The euphoria of triumph had flooded her veins with pure energy and she'd danced and laughed like a child all the way!

She'd defied the geas!

Keeping her name secret was one of the tightest strictures of the geas and she'd broken it! She blushed as she recalled what it had taken to force the defiance, but still it was something!

"I guess I owe Idiot-sama after that one!" she mused happily as she stepped into the back gate just at the spell-borders came crashing down. She felt herself propelled a few steps closer to the house, but she couldn't mind. Quickly she schooled her features into her normal downtrodden expression lest Yumi notice and look for ways to punish her. Inside she was singing and already formulating a lie for the origin of the fruit that Yumi would believe.

Yahiko was perched on the woodpile behind the stove as she entered the kitchen. He cast a disbelieving glance at the round and heavy globes as she entered, but didn't say anything as she set the basket on the table beside him and turned her back. Two of those oranges would be missing by the time she turned around, but if she didn't see it then the geas couldn't make her stop him.

Kaoru quickly stowed her purchases and made for her little room where her 'work clothes' waited. Soon it would be time to start dinner and she wanted to be in her apron and something sturdier before Yumi came to make her inspections.

She changed quickly and was wearing her drab brown and tan kimono with the grayed cotton smock and quietly chopping vegetables by the time her stepmother sauntered into the kitchen. Kaoru didn't look up, but kept her hands flying while pretending she hadn't noticed the intrusion. Yumi always liked to think she was watching Kaoru unawares. There was no point in enlightening the woman to the fact that she walked like a herd of oxen.

Yumi reached past Kaoru to pick up one of the precious oranges. Kaoru made sure to just in feigned surprise and spin to face her stepmother with an appropriate expression of fear. Kaoru held her breath as Yumi weighed the fruit in her hand. The woman cocked and elegantly arched brow at her. "This is good. I take it that the market was good to us today?"

A quick nod was all the answer Yumi wanted. "There was a smuggler at the docks." She murmured quickly. "I got there before he was reported."

Mercifully, Yumi accepted the story. She nodded and put the orange back. From there she continued her inspection of the kitchen. Yahiko had vanished when he heard her coming so he wasn't there to receive a dressing down for his grubby shirt and feet. Kaoru stood with her head bowed until her stepmother swept out of the kitchen without a parting word. Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief in the wake of her departure and turned back to her vegetables, letting the geas control her motions as her mind wandered.

It had been odd that Idiot-sama hadn't brushed her off immediately after picking her up off the streets. The geas should have distracted him. It worked on most people, although there were a few like her friend the Fruit Vendor who could focus on her after she got their attention. She didn't know what was different about them, but she knew there were people that Yumi just couldn't work magic on. She complained about them often enough to her oldest, Shura who was a little miniature of her mother although she hadn't shown any signs of magical talent. Kaoru overheard a great deal in the household since her 'family' considered her to be deaf, dumb, and blind.

Well, Misao wasn't as bad at the other two, Kaoru corrected herself. The youngest Kamiya had a genuinely good heart and often went out of her way to help Kaoru out. Because of that Kaoru made sure her dinners weren't nearly as foul as Yumi and Shura's. If there was good fruit in the house then Kaoru slipped it into Misao's bedroom since the geas wouldn't let her eat it herself unless Yahiko gave it to her.

Still… it had almost been nice to be noticed for once, even if it had been His High-Handed Highness, Himura Kenshin. She snuck a glance at the oranges he'd bought for her. What kind of person bought those just to repay a debt? And not even a serious debt at that! Kaoru couldn't tell if he was being generous or showing off. She wanted to think he was just flashing cash, but the way he'd been looking at her portended something else. She shivered at the memory of that yellow-eyed expression of his. As if he could intimidate her into lifting her skirts for him! Some of her anger flowed back into her veins, banishing her shivers.

"Oi, busu!" Yahiko appeared at her elbow, eyeing the vegetables she was chopping with the avaricious eye of a boy just hitting his first growth spurt.

Kaoru ruffled his hair, ignoring his protests and distracted herself by running a whetstone over her cleaver while he pocketed some of the ends and tails. By the time she turned back he was back in the rear courtyard and she could hear the distinctive sounds of wood being chopped.

Yahiko had been something of a gift from on high for her. The young boy was one of the people who could see her without help. He started hanging around her yard a few months back, just watching her in the evenings as she secretly practiced her martial arts. The geas wasn't sure what to classify him as so he was ignored. Then one day, bold as brass he came up to her and demanded that she teach him. Kaoru hadn't known what to do so she gave him a condition: if he could get Yumi to hire him on as help then she would include him in her evening sessions. The next day Yumi introduced Kaoru to her new pot-boy.

Agreeing to teach him had been the best thing Kaoru ever did. Not only was he a natural with the shinai, the brat was unnaturally observant. She hadn't even had to try and explain the geas to him. He'd figured it out on his own. According to him, the Yakuza he'd once lived with had used them a great deal before the police chased him out of town. He knew the signs and had her limits figured out within a week.

As a former pickpocket, the boy was very good at making food disappear at exactly the moment Kaoru couldn't stop him. Yet he was equally good at filching enough for two and dividing the spoils at the end of the day to supplement the poor fare of rice and a few scanty vegetables, which was all Yumi would permit them. More than that, teaching him was the one thing, aside from market day, that Kaoru looked forward to in the evening.

When her father had been conscripted to fight in Satsuma Yumi had cancelled all his classes and closed the Dojo. If she could have, the evil woman would have burned the scrolls that he'd left behind in case he didn't return from war. Pity that she couldn't find them…

If the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu was to have a future, then it rested in Myogin Yahiko. Kaoru knew better than to think that she'd ever be able to marry, much less pass her teaching on to her children. As the last shihandai of her father's school, Kaoru knew it was her duty to ensure the school's survival. Of the two of them, Yahiko was able to escape and when he did, he would take the Kamiya Kasshin with him.

This was not to say that Kaoru wouldn't keep it in her own heart. It was just that she didn't have a teacher to spar with and had to make do with street thugs on… market… day…

Kaoru swore violently and dropped her cleaver. She'd forgotten her shinai! She must have dropped it when that buffoon had knocked her down! He certainly hadn't let her pick it up when he hauled her off! She felt a little sick. Yahiko would have to pilfer another one from the locked Dojo and there was no telling what kind of shape that equipment was in after nearly nine years of neglect. Going back for it was not an option. It wouldn't be there when she returned the next week, or if it was it would be in shards!

She scowled darkly. Idiot-sama was going to pay for that and not in the way he was accustomed to either!

* * *

On the other side of the city, in a modest town house Kenshin Himura contemplated a saucer of saké. He turned it this way and that, letting the candlelight sparkle across the clear fluid and wondered what it would taste like if he were to take a sip.

For fifteen years now the saké had tasted like blood.

These days it wasn't as bad as it had been once, but the alcohol still carried a coppery tang that made it unpalatable. For a brief time it had tasted of plum blossoms, but that too had been wrong. Kenshin wondered if the day would ever come when he took a sip and just tasted fermented rice.

He set the saucer down by its companion pitcher, which was almost completely full, and stared into the flickering flames of his hearth. He was alone in his parlor. His servants had retired long ago and he was alone. They knew when their Master was going to have another one of his sleepless nights.

Normally he'd stay up and reflect upon his sins, but tonight however he was thinking of oranges.

If he closed his eyes he could see her in his mind as vibrant and brazen as she'd been the moment she dared raise a hand to him. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd deserved it, but she'd _called_ him on it. She'd called him on a great many things in the short time he'd had her. It had been habit to run her through his 'Three Tests', but he'd been delighted when she'd passed every single one! Not only was she educated enough to recognize the fallacies he'd fed her, but she was brave enough to correct him.

"… and observant enough to catch me at it," he mused. That had been glorious bonus. Staying ahead of her took a lot of skill, but he couldn't begrudge it. It would be difficult to begrudge her anything if he'd read his reactions aright. There was just something about the way that lower lip of hers jutted out when she got stubborn that made him want to spoil her… or lick it. Licking it was a good idea too.

Perhaps she was eating one of those oranges right that very minute. That full lower lip of hers would fold around it as she bit into the juicy fruit. He could see her little pink tongue dart out to catch the excess moisture. Maybe there'd be a little in the corner of her mouth that she missed. All of a sudden his mouth went dry.

'Down boy!' Kenshin squeezed his eyes shut and banished the enticing image from his mind. 'Bad!'

"You don't even know her, Himura." He told himself. "You saw her once in the market. Never mind the fact that most couples are lucky for that much time together before they're dragged up to the altar. She's a servant girl also ignoring the fact that you used to be a slave. She wouldn't know how to handle the kind of society you move in, although she already has a better start than you did."

The only arguments he could make for doing The Right Thing and leaving her alone were weak at best and circular at worst. If the insular little world of the Tokyo Elite could adjust to include him then it would easily accept her. Kenshin scowled. He hated arguing with himself and hated the fact that he had nothing else to do even more.

Perhaps that was why Sanosuke was so emphatic that he should get married.

Kenshin's scowl faded. It wasn't that he didn't think it was a good idea. A warm body in bed with him at night always banished the nightmares, but the women he consorted with never stayed long. Although with Kaoru he wasn't sure if he'd be sleeping with her much… maybe staying up late arguing. He chuckled and grinned. Arguing inevitably ended in making-up. There was an activity he could safely enjoy.

'… but then there's the issue of her current situation.' Kenshin frowned at himself. 'Getting ahead of ourselves aren't we, Himura?'

Indeed, he was putting the cart before the horse. At present he could safely say that she wanted nothing to do with him. If he went calling then the best he could hope for was that she didn't have a knife handy. It was just as well that she was so adorable when she got into a frothing rage.

* * *

Training that night didn't go so well. Yahiko hadn't minded stealing a new shinai, but Kaoru didn't like having to make him do it. They sparred a bit, but both combatants were so tired that they ended up going to bed early anyway.

Yahiko was curled up by the kitchen hearth when Kaoru returned from her abbreviated wash at the water pump. He had the remains of a quilt in lieu of a futon and substituted a thin summer blanket purloined from the linen chest where the quilt should have been. Kaoru eyed him for a long moment before fetching her own blanket, which wasn't much better than what he was sleeping on.

It was already getting cold at night so the water had been frigid. She made sure to dry herself well before laying down beside him. The young boy sat up immediately when he felt the heavier blanket settle over him. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"It's too cold to sleep alone." She informed him. "Your virtue is safe with me. Now quit complaining and lay down."

With no small amount of grumbling, Yahiko eventually settled down. After he nodded off, Kaoru felt safe to put an arm around his waist and draw him closer. The ten year old instinctively sought her warmth and she had to smile. No matter how mature he seemed, Yahiko was still just a boy. He wasn't much older than she'd been when her father died and Kaoru remembered the many lonely nights when she wished she could still go crawl into her father's futon. She still had nights like that, but it wasn't her father that she wanted anymore. It wasn't Yahiko either. Kaoru sighed and curled an arm beneath her ear as she watched the younger boy sleep.

She found her mind wandering back to the events of the afternoon. As before a pair of predatory yellow eyes gazed out at her from the depths of her memory, only this time she wasn't angry.

It didn't take a genius to guess what he had wanted from her. If he'd reappeared exactly at that moment, Kaoru might have actually given it to him just to feel warm hands on her and to forget for an hour or two that she'd been condemned to hell without even having died.

'Luckily the chances of you ever seeing him again are slim to none.' She comforted herself. 'They're only marginally better than chances of him remembering you should you meet him again.' So maybe it would safe to dream… just a little.

* * *

"You must be kidding, Okashira."

Aoshi didn't respond right away. Instead he swept the room and his assembled Oniwabanshuu with his cold blue gaze. They fidgeted under his attention, but none of them looked away. These were the men he'd been responsible for since the advent of his thirteenth birthday. Of the nine onmitsu under his command, the four men before him represented the best the Oniwabanshuu had to offer: Hanya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijou.

"I am not in the habit of 'kidding'." Aoshi said darkly with a dark glance at Shikijou, who had been responsible for the outburst. "This is your new assignment on behalf of our Benefactor, Himura-san. The girl has captured his interest." He paused to let them absorb the layers of meaning in that statement.

'Yes, boys', he thought fondly. 'We've finally got a chance to marry the eccentric bastard off and get him out of our hair.'

It had been Hanya's idea to toss Kenshin into the Marriage Market. They all had respect for the man and hated to see him drowning in retirement, not that anyone wanted him to leave it. He just needed some company. A wife meant that they could force him into a steady schedule, making it far easier on whoever was assigned to guard him that day. No-one of the Oniwabanshuu was getting any younger and it was getting harder to keep up with Kenshin every day. A woman would settle him and help him redirect all that damn energy.

To that end they'd been covertly directing suitable candidates into the man's path, but none of them had managed to defeat his short attention span. Until Kaoru that was. The only downside was that they knew nothing about her, but that would soon change.

"Command us, Okashira." Hanya said simply and his comrades-in-arms nodded in agreement.

"I want twenty-four hour surveillance on the Central Shopping District, especially the poorer areas." He withdrew a sheaf of papers from one of the drawers in the enormous desk that housed all the paperwork generated by their day-to-day maneuvers. He tossed it desktop. "That represents everything I know about the girl and includes an accurate artistic depiction. I would advise all of you to look through the packet."

The packet however did not include his reservations about the dark magical film that seemed to coat the girl's aura. None of them were mage enough to notice it except him or perhaps Okina. Hanya might have noticed if he met the girl personally and spent several hours examining her. They didn't know what to look for.

A shinai awaited Aoshi in his Working room where he'd use it to cast a scrying spell in order to narrow down his search. The object indeed knew where it lived, but it could hardly give him directions. The spell would give him a general idea of where to start, but after that he faced the onerous task of going from house to house waiting for the shinai to say 'Here it is! I live here!'

Hopefully one of his onmitsu would spot her in the market and follow her home before that happened. Still, the spell on the girl was so subtle that it might completely disguise her even from his ninjas' expert eyes.

Still, one way or another the girl would be found and stuffed into a wedding kimono. If Aoshi had to walk her down the aisle at sword point then so be it.

* * *

Days passed.

As Market Day drew near once more, Kaoru found that Idiot-sama still hadn't left her thoughts. More than once she found herself idly wondering if she might run into him again before she caught the thought and stamped the life out it.

Countless Saturdays had passed before without her catching so much as a glimpse of him. There was absolutely no chance that she would meet him again. Kaoru reassured herself of this fact several times as she went through the usual ritual of Market Day. This week she had to make due with her second best kimono, which barely passed inspection. As usual she retrieved her shinai, the new one, from behind the house and made her way to the Shopping district in an uncharacteristic huff.

Kaoru didn't pause to appreciate the ambience of the Shopping District, but instead plunged straight in and made for her rounds. She had last week to make up for and if she was going to get her fights in then she had to hustle.

Rice, vegetables, miso, books, and salt were easy, but when Kaoru approached her very favorite fruit stall she found her steps slowing as she saw a certain red-head perched on a stool behind the display and chatting avidly with the vendor.

Oh someone had it in for her! Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, hoping against hope that her mind was playing tricks on her. It wasn't and now the vendor had noticed her. The little man grinned and waved to her like her always did and slowly Himura turned to face in her direction.

Kaoru's heart leapt into her throat. It was That Look.

Time faltered and suddenly he was directly in front of her and looking as stern as a school teacher. Somehow he'd managed to cross the distance between them without her seeing how and stood frowning down at her.

"It's been six days." He said quietly. "You left me to wait for nearly a week."

"So you _can_ count! I was wondering if you'd make the connection." As soon as it was out of her mouth Kaoru blushed. Even if it was Idiot-sama, that had been just unconscionably rude! Still in for sen, in for yen. "I don't recall cross-verifying my schedule with you. Good day, sir."

Like last time he was in her way almost before she had a way to be in. That stern look had faded and his violet eyes danced with merriment. He held a hand to his head and fluttered his lashes at her. "Oh, you wound me, fair maiden. I was left to yearn! I yearned for six long days! Have pity on me, my sweet for I only wished to bask in the warm light of your regard."

Kaoru stared at him. "How long did it take you to think that up?"

"About four days." He confessed.

She should have been angry, but the fine effervescence of rage that had been boiling in her chest since she'd laid eyes on him once more went flat all of a sudden. It was as though her capacity for anger was a tub of water and someone had pulled the plug. "Well, at least you're honest." She sighed and stepped around him. This time he let her. It came as no surprise that he followed her to the Fruit stand, but amazingly he didn't interfere when she made her purchases. He must have had a talk with her friend.

After packing her grocery basket (with apples this week) and deciding to forgo another watermelon she said her good-byes to the fruit merchant and made for the Docks. Idiot-sama predictably followed in her wake. Kaoru wondered if he'd get bored and wander off, but he didn't. For once he was silent even as she accepted the paper-wrapped parcel that represented her next foray into culinary catastrophe and confirmed the usual deliveries.

"So that's why it took you so long." Himura observed as he followed her away from the fishmonger. Kaoru continued to ignore him, but silently cursed herself for not remembering that he'd be present. Hopefully the geas was working well enough to keep him from realizing that he could get her address from the fishmonger.

If he'd made the connection then he gave no sign. Rather, Kaoru felt his hand curl around her elbow as he stepped intimately close. "You're finished with your shopping, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her off in the direction of the Storefronts once more. Kaoru stifled a squawk of affront as she knew she'd need all her breath for navigating the crowd.

Heaven help Himura Kenshin when they arrived though.

The crowd disgorged them in front of a modest little boutique that, despite its unassuming demeanor, housed the leading Modiste in Tokyo. Inside the door, Kaoru could see bolts and bolts of vibrant silks, delicate muslins, and other fabrics that she didn't even have names for. She stood frozen on the threshold as Himura did his best to usher her inside.

A hand crept down to touch the worn cotton skirt of the kimono she currently wore. Kaoru cast a glance down at herself to verify that the patches and darns still marked her as a permanently second-class citizen. For a second she'd almost forgotten. The lure of those beautiful fabrics appealed to something inside her that was still feminine and entranced by pretty objects despite everything she'd gone through. No, she was still Kaoru the scullion not Kaoru the Princess. Somehow that lent her strength and even when Himura pushed a little more insistently than was strictly polite she managed to hold fast.

"No." she said it firmly, flatly, in the voice she used when teaching Yahiko. It affected Himura just a little by making him stand a bit straighter, but she hadn't won yet.

"I still owe you a new dress." He pointed out reasonably. "You won't give me your measurements, so I'll have to have them fitted especially. They hardly make ready-to-wear kimonos. So if you'll just step inside and let the nice lady take your…"

"NO!" Kaoru screamed it.

To add insult to injury, not a single head turned on the street. Kaoru's eyes burned with unshed tears that she refused to acknowledge. Himura stared at her with confusion etched into every line of his face. The ignorant fool had no idea what he was dangling in front of her. "You don't even understand what you're doing." She spat and turned on her heel. As always he was blocking her before she even started walking, but this time she balled a fist a punched him in the chest.

It wasn't a hard punch, but it did knock him back on his heels as he absorbed the damage. She didn't remove her fist, but instead bowed her head so that her bangs would hide the tears of defeat that were brimming in her eyes.

* * *

For no reason that Kenshin was comfortable facing, the sight of crystalline tears sparkling from behind the shield of her black hair hit him harder than she had. It was like Sanosuke had delivered his trademark 'Futae no Kiwami' straight into the pit of his stomach. Those weren't tears of gratitude or joy… no those were tears that he was all too familiar with. Frustration, anger, and sheer helplessness streamed down her face and he found himself cupping her cheeks and desperately trying to erase those marks with his thumbs.

"I've hurt you." He said softly as he watched her waver between leaning into his hands and swatting them away. "That was the last thing I wanted."

Those brilliant sapphire eyes (really his memory hadn't done them justice) snapped with indignation and that luscious lower lip reset into the stubborn angle that had been haunting his thoughts since last Saturday. "Let me go, Himura." She growled although the effect was ruined when she hiccoughed halfway though.

Kenshin had to laugh. She looked so much like an angry kitten that he could help it. If he'd thought for a moment that she meant it his hands would have been off her so fast the displaced air might have damaged her hearing, but that little hesitation when she tried to pull away let him know that she just in the habit of denying herself the things she wanted.

Any fool could have seen the naked longing in her eyes when he pushed her into the doorway of the dress shop. For a second he'd been _so sure_ that he'd found the perfect leverage, but then… then she'd started screaming followed by the tears.

He closed his fingers around the fist she still had planted in the center of his chest. Her punch hadn't exactly _hurt_ per-se, but he'd definitely felt it. This made twice that she'd hit him, but now more than ever he had the niggling suspicion that he wasn't the one she was striking out at. No, he was only the target she could reach. Moving slowly and never letting his eyes leave hers, he brought her palm up to his mouth and laid a soft kiss in the center of her palm.

Kaoru's vivid blue eyes widened with surprise, but he could detect no traces of disgust or fear. Instead there was a sort of pained wistfulness in her eyes, the same expression that had replaced the desire when she'd turned away from the clothes Shoppe; as if she were looking at something she wanted badly, but could never ever have.

If it was the last thing he ever did, Kenshin Himura was going to prove to her that she could have the world if she wanted it.

The skin beneath his lips was hard and cracked. It looked painful and if he'd had any hope at all that she'd accept it, he'd have taken her to get some kind of lotion to soothe it. His own hands had looked like that once and he remembered all too well how good it had felt when he'd finally gotten his skin supple enough that it didn't crack open when the weather turned dry. Unfortunately he was having enough trouble getting her to accept repayment. Getting to accept a gift would be like convincing her to drink hemlock!

"I wish I knew what it would take for you to trust me?" He sighed and nuzzled her palm. There was no harm in making his intentions clear, but he'd go no further than this until she gave him clear sign that she'd be open to it.

Her tender mouth tightened and her eyes went hard. "If you have to ask then you probably won't manage it." She said with a sigh. "Maybe if you'd tried the 'white knight' act on me five years ago you'd have found a better reception."

Kenshin chuckled. "You would have been how old then; fourteen? Fifteen? You make me feel like a dirty old man."

She snorted and almost (_almost_!) smiled, but she hid it valiantly. "I was twelve, actually. Still, I'm too old to be deceived by a few cheap trinkets. Save it for someone who's been waiting their whole life for someone like you. I'm not what you want."

"So jaded," Kenshin mused. "So young…still it sounds like you're challenging me. I never could resist a dare." Her eyes widened and her delicate nostrils flared as his hand shot out to capture one of the dragon locks that framed her face and twisted it around his finger. Her breathing falter as her lowered his lips to the glossy stuff and looked impudently up at her. "You're going to trust me before all others." It wasn't a question or even a prediction. It was fact.

"Don't get your hopes up!" She snatched her hands away and darted around him.

It was too easy to use his speed to block her off and it had gotten to be a bit of a game really. Kaoru scowled and tried to fight past him, but between her clothing, basket, and the crowd she had no chance.

Laughter burbled up in his chest, but he kept his face straight with an effort. Letting it go would just get him slapped again and he had plans for something else. An adorable flush of anger gathered on her cheeks as she dodged from side to side, trying to find an opening of opportunity. He let himself hesitate just long enough that she almost made it past him before she found an arm around her middle.

She shrieked as he literally swept her off her feet and cradled her against his chest. Kenshin grinned as she cursed him and while her mouth was open and saying horrible things about his mother, he kissed her. She froze underneath him as his tongue darted into her mouth to flick against hers, just enough to let her know he could have done more. He withdrew fully prepared for the storm of abuse about to descend upon him, but the woman in his arms was silent.

Kaoru was absolutely rigid. Her beautiful eyes were completely blank and her mouth was still open and moist from his kiss. She was white as a sheet and didn't move except for the telltale rise and fall of her chest, which indicated that she was breathing at least.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin shook her a little, but she didn't respond. "Kaoru! Speak to me!"

Then all at once, the lights came back on in her eyes and Kenshin had about two minutes to be relieved before her small hand went over her shoulder for the shinai strapped to her back.

* * *

Ten minutes later Kaoru stalked away from Himura's broken and bleeding body as the geas reminded her that she was on borrowed time.

Her lips tingled rebelliously and she could taste that faint hint of citrus that had lingered on his tongue. If she closed her eyes then there he was painted on the insides of her lids, smiling down at her with that smug and satiated smile. Her cheeks reddened and she contemplated darting back to deal him another blow.

The sheer cheek! How _dare_ he? Of all the unmitigated gall!

That had represented Kaoru's very first kiss and it had been _stolen_.

One more dream tossed down the gutters. She felt sick. Had it really been too much to hope for that at least that one little thing might have gone according to plan? She hadn't asked for much: just a quiet moment with someone she cared about. He didn't have to be handsome or rich, just kind…

Instead she'd gotten handsome, rich, and _fickle_. She knew the type and had been dodging them since the day she's sprouted breasts. Wealthy men were always looking for a cheap mistress of low enough rank that she would be completely dependant on him and couldn't complain when he cast her off. Sometimes they could see through the geas, like Himura and several times Kaoru had barely escaped with her virtue intact.

More tears streaked down her face; useless tears for a hopeless woman. She couldn't even get her first kiss right!

'Well, there's an upside to all this,' she thought as she made her way back. 'At least I won't see him again after this. He'd be insane to come after me again.'

As she left the marketplace, it occurred to Kaoru that once again she'd forgot to get her practice in.

Well… damn.

* * *

End Chapter Two

* * *

_Seiyuu__: New update! Once again, no edited bits but there will be next chapter!_


	4. Revelation

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult ,

Notes: The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

* * *

Chapter Three: Revelations

* * *

That had been without question, the most through beating Kenshin had ever experienced in his entire life. That was including his entire period of training with his former Master, Seijuro Hiko and that was saying something. 

From the ground, Kenshin had a marvelous view of thousands of feet as the crowd parted before him and flowed around his prone body. Several people just stepped over him, which was an improvement over being stepped on he supposed. Kaoru's lithe form retreated into the distance.

'That must be why the Gods gave women buttocks,' he reflected as he watched her hips sway. 'Eventually they have to walk away from us. At least this way there's some consolation…'

She vanished for the second time. One second she was there, trembling with rage as she stalked off then he blinked and it was as if she'd never been. Kenshin frowned. That girl was entirely too stealthy for someone who wasn't even trying.

A woman's shriek distracted him from his thoughts and he looked up to find a housewife standing over him. Suddenly all around him people began to stop and point. Men, who sat idly by not even noticing when it happened, suddenly came forward to help him to his feet. A thousand voices asked him how he'd gotten there, what had happened, who'd done such a thing to him? He was hauled to a tea stall and a waitress came by with a bucket of water and a rag to clean him up.

The crowd eventually dispersed, but Kenshin's confusion did not. How could they not have noticed? Kaoru had beaten him right beneath their noses and they'd all been blind!

As he gingerly tended his split lip a shadow flickered by the awning and he recognized Beshimi, one of Aoshi's ninjas who'd been assigned to watch him. The man was short, even shorter than Kenshin. He wore blandly colored hakama and a dark purple vest over his gi. Both of his hands were tucked into the opposite sleeve to disguise the leather bracers he wore to hold the little darts he used as a weapon.

The onmitsu approached his side to inspect the damage. "What happened to you?"

Kenshin glared. "A better question would be: where were you when it was happening? A small woman, who you've spent the better part of a week looking for, took a shinai to my face. Who's tailing her?" he snapped.

Beshimi frowned. "Uh, Himura-san… we never saw a woman with you. We suddenly lost sight of you at that run-down fruit stand. Hanya was staring straight at you then he blinked and you were gone. We've all been combing the area for you."

That stopped Kenshin cold. Between one blink and the next? Something sour coiled up in the pit of his stomach as the facts began to fall into place. Aoshi had already introduced him to the likelihood that she was under a spell, but he'd hoped it was just a compulsion or an illusion. No, this was beginning to look more and more like the Forbidden Magicks: a bitter-bind or worse, a geas.

A bitter-bind would account for some of her odder behavior, but the spell was too limited to explain everything. The spell could control her to a certain degree, but it was flashy and inevitably attracted the attention of every Mage in the area. The way people just ignored her could only really be explained by a geas; someone had made a spell-slave of her.

With an effort, he smothered his anger and forced his mind into the cold and precise state he'd practically lived in during the Revolution when he'd dealt with these sorts of things every day. He should have recognized the symptoms right away. Dark Magi had never been known for their creativity. Once they found a good rhythm, they stuck with it. A dark mage's comfortable rut was the biggest weapon in Kenshin's arsenal and he knew how to make use of it.

Kenshin checked his pocket-watch. The face read 5:30.

Unless he missed his guess, she was on a very strict schedule. The last time she'd run from him she'd acted as though the very devil was on her heels. God only knew how long it would take Shinomori to find her house, but he had a guaranteed date next Saturday at 2:30.

He flipped his watch shut and stalked out of the tea stall with Beshimi following him from the rooftops. There were plans to make.

* * *

It was precisely 5:44. 

Misao crouched upon the rooftop of the abandoned dojo. The tiles creaked a bit beneath her weight and she pondered the likelihood of getting her Mother, bitch-incarnate Kamiya Yumi, to get someone up there to replace them. Somewhere in the back of her mind she tallied up the associated costs of re-roofing a building that size as she kept her eyes trained on the back gates. It was no good. The smallest numbers she could predict would turn Yumi's hair white. No matter that every year the woman spent more on carriages to take her to places where she could have easily walked. If Yumi had her way the Dojo and all the dreams it had once represented would rot away and eventually fall down under its own weight.

She spared a thought in memory of the man who'd built the Dojo and the house she lived in. Kamiya Kojishirou, the stepfather she'd never met: he must be weeping from heaven to see his legacy treated so.

The little she'd been able to inveigle out of Kaoru, the housekeeper, led her to believe that the man had been utterly wasted on Yumi. He'd been conscripted into the Seinan war long before Yumi had been able to collect her from the foster family she'd been left with as a baby. She'd been six or seven at the time and before then she hadn't even known she had a mother, much less a new stepfather! One of the biggest disappointments of her life was to arrive at her new home to find a cold-hearted reptile for a mother and an utter spider of an elder sister. The only refuge she'd found had been in the kitchen with Kaoru, who has two whole years older than her and had pretty much raised her until her mother deigned to notice her once more.

Misao winced a little at the memory of her earliest years. They were fuzzy at best, but she could remember the facts. Yumi, who'd been Komagata Yumi at the time, had been a courtesan of the first water before the Bakumatsu and for a brief spate during it. She'd included high officials and men of power among her 'patrons'. One of them had been the Okashira of one of the Shogun's onmitsu groups. When Yumi turned up pregnant with his child, he took Misao and fostered her with some of his 'house ninjas' who'd retired several years before. Old and cantankerous, they'd viewed Misao as more of a live-in servant who they didn't have to pay once she got old enough to take over some of the chores. Yumi's summons had seemed like a gift from God and in a lot of ways it had been a step up.

Even if the situation hadn't been as idyllic as she'd pictured Misao was still a Daughter of the House and as such she wasn't expected to work for every meal. If her mother and sister had sharp tongues and quick tempers, then they served to polish Misao's skills and thicken her skin. If she couldn't handle a couple of vipers like them, then she had no chance in her chosen field.

Misao was going to be a ninja one day.

It was a decision she'd made the second she'd first learned of her father's true identity when she was four and had been her driving passion since. She'd already mastered several of the martial aspects of ninjitsu. All around the city there were retired spies from the Revolution who were only too eager to pass on their skills. What she was working on now was her more viable skills: blackmail, information gathering, and the marketing of both. The Kamiya household was a wonderful place to polish those skills.

The pocket-watch in Misao's hand struck 4:45 and a huge smile broke out over her face as the back gates opened to admit her very favorite person in the world!

Kaoru gasped and nearly dropped her grocery basket as Misao landed in a crouch right before her. Misao sprang up with all the vivacious energy of a sixteen year old and threw her arms around the older woman's neck. "Kaoru-nee! You're back!" She practically purred when she felt fond fingers work into her hair. No matter how annoyed, exhausted, or busy Kaoru was she always had time to let Misao know she cared.

The housekeeper was more than a servant to Misao. She was family the way her own had failed to be. From the second her mother had abandoned her on the front step Misao had been lost in the empty halls of the Dojo. Out of instinct, she'd followed her nose to the kitchen, where she'd practically lived in her foster home.

There she'd been, standing on a stool watching rice burn with an expression of wicked glee on her face. Misao had hidden behind the rice bales to watch nine year old Kaoru put together a meal that was guaranteed to twist the guts of all who touched it. To one side another smaller meal was going, made of cheaper and simpler ingredients. Having gotten a good dose of her mother by then, Misao didn't have to ask whose supper was which.

By the time Kaoru noticed Misao in her hiding place, Yumi and Shura had been served with Misao's portion being thrown out since she wasn't there to eat it. It had happened just as Kaoru knelt to eat that the smell of rice had brought the younger girl out of hiding.

Instead of turning her in to her mother or any of the half-dozen things Misao had expected her to do, Kaoru had simply scooted over to split her supper. After that everything else had been inevitable.

From age seven to fourteen, Kaoru had been Misao's family. Yumi and Shura were distant acquaintances often seen and heard, but she'd never really interacted with them. Misao had pretty much lived in the kitchen either helping out or playing in a corner under Kaoru's watchful eye. In the evenings it hadn't been Yumi or Shura chasing her down in order to wrestle her into the tub and it hadn't been the Master bedroom that she ran to in the middle of the night when she'd had a bad dream.

At age fifteen, Yumi had suddenly recalled that she in fact had two daughters. Misao knew better than to believe her mother had experienced a true change of heart and regretted her earlier neglect. No, she was of marrying age now and that meant she'd fetch a bride price from whomever Yumi managed to sell her off to.

Too bad that wasn't going to happen…

'Mother' and 'sister' were words with every negative connotation possible for Misao, but take everything those words were intended to mean and then cull out everything but the best aspects. The result would come close to what she meant when she said 'Kaoru-nee'.

"Whaddya bring me? Whaddya bring me!" Misao bounced up and down around Kaoru as she made her way into the kitchen.

Yahiko sat in a corner, already chopping vegetables. Between the two of them, Kaoru and Yahiko kept the household running like a well-oiled machine. If they hadn't concentrated on making life difficult for their mutual employers then the Dojo probably would have been a much nicer place to live. Still, Misao would never ever blame them. From snooping through the Household ledgers, she knew exactly how much how much didn't went into their pay packets each month, or rather how much _didn't_.

Kaoru drew no pay at all. Yumi had written her off as 'room and board' while Yahiko made less than a street sweeper. She'd never understood why they never left and found employment elsewhere, but as Misao got older she began to wonder if Yumi didn't have some kind of hold over them.

"What makes you think I brought you anything?" Kaoru said primly, with an amused glimmer in her eyes. She took her basket to the cutting broad and began unloading it. A tuna came out, skinned and boned by the fishmonger so that only the translucent scarlet meat remained.

Misao turned large watery eyes on her adopted sister. "But… Kaoru!" the words were barely out of her mouth before an apple came flying at her head. She caught it on reflex and grinned. "Thank you!" She squealed and planted a big kiss on Kaoru's cheek.

The older girl grunted and pretended not to notice when Yahiko swiped two more. Instead she waved them both off and occupied herself by storing the rest of the fruit. Misao retreated to the rice bales and perched on one to idly eat her snack while Kaoru desecrated the corpse of the unfortunate tuna. Misao still ate with Kaoru and Yahiko. Yumi didn't care, the less she had to see Misao the better. That let Kaoru cook more for all of them and she had actually come to terms with vegetable dishes. There was a certain interlude of adjustment, but by now Misao had actually gotten to prefer the strong bold flavors Kaoru cooked with. Everything else tasted kind of bland at that point.

She missed fish though. Meat in general rarely graced their plates. The Fishmonger usually gave them enough for two servings, no more. Everyone else subsisted on rice, the few vegetables Yumi allotted them, and whatever Yahiko could steal to bolster them. Sometimes it occurred to Misao that's she'd have lived a more comfortable life if she'd emulated her mother the way Shura had. There was nothing Yumi liked more than a human mirror.

Misao knew that neither Yumi nor Shura subsisted solely on the treacherous meals Kaoru made. They usually ate a large lunch out in the town and had all sorts of sweets tucked around the house. Shura also got more pocket money than Misao, and rarely had to use her own money on the little luxuries in life. This was not to say that Yumi was Misao's only source of income. Oh no, she had all sorts of side 'businesses'. Misao hoarded her money, rarely using it for something other than birthday presents or sheer necessities. Her savings represented the seed money that she'd use to build her underground empire.

Oh yes, Misao had a plan. She was going to start small, building from the roots she'd accumulated in Tokyo. She had contacts all over the place among the house servants and messengers in town. It was amazing what people would say in front of the hired help! Misao kept track of it all and cheerfully blackmailed stuffing out of them. She was careful, never asking for enough that it wasn't easier to pay her off than find her. Actually, last she checked she'd garnered a bit of a reputation of the 'Honest Extortionist'. Recently, she'd expanded her business to include the buying and selling of 'interesting facts', which by necessity precluded what she had on her blackmail clients. Still, things were running quite well for such a new 'business'. The only problems she could foresee would only come when she got to be a big enough player that the 'Old Blood' of the Underground felt threatened.

She'd be ready when it happened, but that was a long ways off. At the moment she was only the newest rung on the bottom of the ladder. Still, she always kept a sharp look-out for interesting facts about her mother. One day Misao was going to find something good enough on the bitch that would convince her to release whatever hold she had on Kaoru and Yahiko. When that day came she'd set them up in a Dojo of their choosing, or even this one if she got something good enough. There they could revive the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Then she'd fill the roster with kids who considered Kaoru on a level with God and awaited her every word with bated breath.

Everyone needed a goal or two in life and those were hers. Misao said a small prayer for the fish whose body Kaoru was preparing to defile. One day she was going to see her Kaoru-nee make a fish and eat it afterwards. The thought gave Misao pause and she edited it.

One day she was going to eat a fish dinner with Kaoru lovingly prepared by her own housekeeper in a home where Yumi was only a distant memory.

* * *

It had been nine years, nearly ten, since Yumi had watched Makoto fall. 

In public he'd always been 'Shishio-sama', but in private he'd been 'Makoto'. Even a decade after the fact she could still taste the sweetness of his name on her lips, whispered in the darkness when his arms were no longer there to comfort her.

If she closed her eyes she could still hear him laughing as the flames engulfed his body. She could still see the tawny eyes of his murderer, as hot and unforgiving as the fire that took Makoto from her. By her love's order she'd hidden herself away as he fought the Battousai. Only the weight of her given word had kept her rooted to the ground when she'd wanted nothing more than to fling herself into the fire borne of his poor inflamed body.

'_Only the strong survive, Yumi. Be strong and you will survive even if I am gone_.'

His last words to her

She was strong although her hands would never heft a blade. The magic she wrought from will and word were her power, different from Makoto's yet potent all the same. Makoto had seen that and had recognized her as worthy to stand at his side. In his memory she had honed herself and her power until she dwelt beneath the Battousai's very nose and he did not suspect her.

Soon she'd be able to take revenge for her Makoto's death.

The weak serve as food for the strong and by his own philosophy Makoto had fed the Battousai. In the grave she knew Makoto held no grudges: there were no exceptions in the survival of the fittest. However she was alive and every day her heart bled anew when she woke in the morning to find herself alone. For that the Battousai would pay.

For ten years she'd bided her time, building capitol and a base of power. She was well connected in Tokyo and this ramshackle Dojo, which she'd wrested from Kojishirou's wretched daughter sat on a nexus of natural ley-lines; a node if you will, where the natural energies of the earth met and pooled together so that an enterprising mage could tap into them at will. With the powers she'd gained it was only a matter of picking a suitable time and place in which to slay her enemy.

Of her two daughters only the eldest, Shura, had shown any capacity for the higher magicks. Misao, that mistake, had clearly taken after her father and was only suited to shadow skills. While she would never be the mage her mother was Shura still enough to make a mother weep with pride. She was ambitious, but smart enough to know when to bow to her mother's will. Shura had also inherited a softer version of her mother's beauty, which made for an interesting advantage.

The Battousai was many things, but he was still a man and subject to all the weaknesses thereof. Yumi knew better than to allow greed to get the best of her, but she also knew better than to let a little risk sway her from greater gains.

The weak live to feed the strong and if everything went as planned then the Battousai would make a fine meal.

* * *

"A geas… it would make sense." Aoshi took a slow, appreciative sip of his brandy. 

Kenshin kept an impressive array of alcohol in his small town home. The country estate outside of town was even more awe inspiring. One could find liqueurs from across the globe in his parlor… save one. As long as he'd known the man, he's never seen Kenshin so much as look at saké.

Aoshi considered the fine amber liquid in his glass. Yes, a geas would certainly account for the odd layering in the girl's aura. A spell like that was almost impossible to identify unless fate walked you straight into it –as it had in this case. It took an obscene amount of power to pull off and was usually rendered ineffectual if the subject of the spell had any sort of willpower at all. The taint on the shinai had gone deep so it was likely that it had been placed on her at an early age… perhaps as a betrayal of trust. She would have spent her developing years as a literal slave, which would obviously have affected her growing will.

From what Kenshin had told him, the girl obviously had been defying the binding although it had taken external stimuli to force the breach of orders. Giving her name was obviously a classic restriction and one of those most powerfully enforced. A name opened all sorts of possibilities to those who would break the spell. Without her family name, most of Aoshi's avenues of inquiry were closed, but there were things he could do with a personal name.

Once the shinai led him to her the geas would be unable to affect him and she would be able to finger her oppressor. Also, the object held enough traces of her that he could use it as something of a proximity alert. If he got within ten paces of her, he would know.

Kenshin watched him silently from the recessed of one of the giant wing-backed chairs that populated his cozy little study. A book had appeared in his lap and Kenshin busied himself with it. For all his faults the man knew better than to interrupt Aoshi's train of thought, for which he was eternally grateful.

It came as no surprise that Kenshin was completely unaffected by the taint of the geas. He'd always been a wild card where magic was concerned even though he'd never be a full mage. If magic was a thunderstorm then Kenshin was the lightening-rod. His presence always seemed to bring the scum to the surface either by intent or accident. This girl was only the latest in a long string of examples, even if she was a singularly useful one.

Aoshi permitted himself a small smile. The more he learned about this 'Kaoru' the more he found that she was exactly what they'd been looking for. The girl had such a similar background to his (barring certain sections) that she'd be able to relate to him in a way no one else could. She could also deflate Kenshin's ego at fifty paces and was more than a match for him intellectually. That she was a fighter was an unexpected bonus. She'd be able to protect herself long enough for help to arrive if the situation arose. Yes, she'd do magnificently.

"How's your search coming along?" Kenshin's voice was droll and Aoshi shot him a dark look.

"I've limited my search to the northern quarter of town. Today I walked through one eighth of it. I have not detected any sign of her yet, but I expect she will be closer to the center where there are houses that actually require servants." The report rolled off Aoshi's tongue easily. Kenshin was a more understanding client than most, although he didn't tolerate incompetence.

Kenshin nodded. "Good. We have a week to find her home address. On Saturday you'll accompany me to the markets. I've been able to corner her twice there." He grinned. "One would think you'd be a little more enthusiastic. I know you were the one behind Sanosuke's sudden decision that I should get leg-shackled. Rejoice, oh-Okashira, for the eternal Bachelor is no more!"

"Enough." Aoshi said curtly, having no patience for Kenshin's antics. He took a drink from his tumbler. "I've made it clear that your nuptials or lack thereof are no concern of mine. I do not care if you wed or not." An onmitsu's pride and joy was his ability to tell a straight-faced lie. Kenshin would NEVER find out about his connection with the Grand Marriage Scheme as Sagara had dubbed their efforts.

The redhead chuckled at tipped his glass in Aoshi's direction. "Ah, well. To you, my friend. May you find a woman who fascinates you every bit as much as my Kaoru does me. Furthermore I hope you have even more trouble getting a hold of her than I am." He took a sip of his wine and grinned unrepentantly under Aoshi's glare.

"On that note, I will take my leave." Aoshi said coldly as he rose. Kenshin nodded and rang for a maid who came with his coat. The staff knew him well, Aoshi reflected as he accepted his trench from the young girl who dimpled prettily as he passed.

"Go safely, Shinomori." Kenshin called after him.

"Always."

* * *

End Chapter Three

* * *

_Seiyuu__: Y'all have the lovely **Jane Drew** and a boring afternoon to thank for this early update. I opened my email to find an awesome 2K review and y'all you what I sucker I am for constructive criticism. A review like that deserves a reward. Here you go, Jane! This one is for you!_


	5. Consequences

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult , 

Notes: The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

* * *

Chapter Four: Consequences

* * *

Sunday was airing day.

In other words, every Sunday Kaoru stripped the tatami out of every room and beat them free of any embedded dirt. Every third week, the futons were aired out as well, and left on the roof to get as much sun as possible to keep them from mildewing during the wet nights.

On Sundays it was worth your life to be underfoot. There wasn't a flat surface in the entire dojo that escaped the righteous fury of Kaoru's dust-mop. Yumi and Shura naturally vacated the premises and spent the day shopping and lolling about the cafés and sweet shops. Misao, on the other hand, made the rounds among her informants and leads to see what popped up and who she could sell it to.

It was already noon and she hadn't turned up much except a nice bit of evidence that she could use in one of her blackmail cases. That particular 'client' had been resisting and the letter penned in his mistress's handwriting, kindly donated by the maid his son had been harassing would go a long way towards subduing him. The maid was due a cut of the proceeds, but she was welcome to it. Misao made a mental note to include a list of job openings along with it. The maid probably wouldn't want to stick around after that.

Other than that notable exception, the day had been fairly fruitless. Misao had exhausted nearly all her 'eyes' and 'ears' around town. The only other hint of something off that she could find was that a certain ship belonging to a notorious smuggling ring was still docked in the harbor. The captain ran a tight operation and she hadn't been able to find out any particulars, but the sailors he employed kept their traps shut and stayed on the boat. That worried her a bit.

Smugglers were usually the 'in and out' type. They made their arrangements by courier and remained in port for maybe half an hour. These guys had been hanging around for days. The only kind of smugglers she could think of who would have to stick around that long were slavers, but she hadn't heard any reports of missing people yet. Whatever they were doing, Misao had no information good enough to make the police move in on the ship.

Misao bought a couple sticks of dango and a waxed paper cone of tea from a stall and found one of the shady parks where her 'ears' knew they could find her. After finding all her usual spots taken by courting couples, she chose a spot on the wall under an elm tree where she could see the gate.

In her outfit she should have attracted attention, sitting with her legs akimbo on a wall for all and sundry to see. Luckily or unluckily, depending on whose point of view you took, Misao was often mistaken for a young boy. Even though she was already sixteen her body insisted on maintaining the narrow hips and flat chest of a thirteen year-old. Actually, her chest wasn't really as flat as it seemed, but breasts annoyed her and she bound them down. The illusion of being a male was too useful to throw away because of vanity. When she was younger she'd worn short trousers that had bared her thighs for the entire world to see, with a cunning little ninja-ko top that she'd loved dearly.

Unfortunately, that outfit had been highly eye-catching and she'd eventually learned to blend comfort with anonymity. These days she restricted herself to dark colors that weren't nearly so memorable. Deep navy trousers that ended just below her knees and a short-sleeved, dull violet gi served her much better. A low-brimmed kasa dangled down her back for when she needed to disguise her round cheeks and rosy lips. While her body could pass for a boy's, her face was all female.

Misao mulled over the smuggler issue as she sipped tea and nibbled on her dango. The fall sun was warm, although they'd pay once night fell. The temperature was going to drop faster than a hot rock.

"Oi!" A small stone zinged past her nose. Misao sighed and casually leaned back to greet one of her less mannerly 'ears'.

Kenichi was perhaps one of the prettiest men she'd ever laid eyes on. His flaxen hair and drowning-deep blue eyes almost made up for the fact that he was also the biggest coward she knew. An aspiring card shark, he knew the value of risk, but he'd run a mile before making a stand. He'd become one of her 'ears' around town when his gambling habits forced him to find additional sources of revenue. The only thing you could get more of at a card game than money or debts was gossip and Kenichi was religious about reporting every single rumor he heard to Misao. Whenever something new happened in town he was one of the first to know, because more often then not he owed money to the person who did it.

"I believe the phrase you were looking for was 'Good afternoon, Makimachi-san. I have something I'd like to discuss with you'." She smiled sweetly at him and offered him a dango. "Now try it again."

Makimachi Misao was her street name. Misao knew better than to use her real name in business; otherwise, it'd be too easy for potential enemies to track her all the way home. Then Kaoru and Yahiko would be in the line of fire. That was an unacceptable risk.

Kenichi made a face. "No time, O-baba!" He used the nickname her eyes and ears had given her as a joke. 'O-baba' was a particularly rude way of saying 'granny'. It was because she was younger than all her informants and prone to treating them much like a grandmother by correcting their speech or badgering them to tuck in loose gis. "This is something you've got to see; hurry up, or you'll miss it!"

He didn't need to tell her twice. Misao hopped down from her perch and followed him out of the park. If Kenichi was willing to pass up on a spot of flirting/witty repartee, then he had to have found something interesting indeed.

Misao followed him for three streets until they were within five blocks of her own home. That wasn't good, she reflected. If this was a bad 'something interesting' then she'd have to take steps to safeguard her little family from it instead of turning a pure profit.

"There!" Kenichi pointed and Misao followed his gaze to see something odd indeed.

A man was walking down the street holding a shinai, of all things. What was more, he was pointing it at each house he passed by. He'd wait for a second and then move on. This in and of itself was an odd thing, but Misao recognized the man doing it. That was what made it interesting.

He was no less than Shinomori Aoshi himself. The leader of the Oniwabanshuu: THE single most powerful group of ninjas in Japan!

A manic grin split Misao's face. Opportunities like this didn't happen every day. She was in a prime position to make a new friend for life, and a powerful friend at that. She spun around and planted a big kiss right on Kenichi's mouth.

"You are wonderful!" she praised him. "You'll see a great big 'thank you' in your next pay packet for this gem!" She kissed him again, lingering to appreciate the expression of pleased shock on his handsome face. Once Kenichi had been shooed off, to remove him from the possible line of fire, Misao scampered up to the rooftops to watch the man at her leisure.

Shinomori continued his meandering pace. Two things stood out almost immediately. First of all, even though he was a stranger to the neighborhood, no one seemed to be paying attention to him. Given the way he was acting, one would think that someone besides her would be eyeing him. The people seemed to pass right by him as if strange men pointed shinais at their houses everyday. The second thing she noticed was that none of the _girls_ were noticing him either.

Even if there was a logical reason for him to be acting the way he was, Shinomori was good-looking enough to supplant Kenichi as the 'most handsome' man in Misao's book. However, they passed right by him as though he were plain as mud without even so much as a wink or a giggle.

"Guess the rumors are true then." She mused out loud. "He _is_ a mage!"

There were similar rumors floating around about all the major players in the Underground, but there was rarely any basis to them. Shinomori, however, appeared to be using a 'notice-me-not'. It was a useful little spell that did exactly as the name implied. It shifted attention away from the caster, which made it better than a invisibility spell. Unfortunately, it wouldn't work on someone like Kenichi whose business was to look, see, and remember. Unlike most of the people on the street, he'd have been actively seeking out faces and comparing them to names, even if he hadn't been consciously aware of it. He knew Shinomori's face and had pointed him out to Misao, thus negating the effect on her.

Magic wasn't her strong point, although she did have a certain aptitude for shadow magic. Still, teachers were hard to come by after the butchery of the Revolution. If it hadn't been the Ishin Shishi killing off dark magi then it had been the Shogun's forces killing off every mage who refused to work for him. There weren't many magi of any variety left in Japan. Still, her tutors around town had managed to instill the basics into her. She had enough experience to appreciate the fine delicate weaving of his spell once she knew it was there and the power fueling it. To affect an entire street full of people at one time was no mean feat.

"Color me impressed!" The more she looked, the more she saw that she liked.

Even a novice like Misao knew the kind of time and effort it took to be able to cast a spell like that. Shinomori had put in a lot of hours without thought to power or influence, but rather for the Art itself. That was the kind of man she could work with.

Perhaps it was time to go down and make her presence known.

* * *

Afterwards, Aoshi would be extremely put out with himself for letting her sneak up on him. Later, after the initial surprise of suddenly finding himself nose-to-nose with a young woman hanging upside down from a tree branch had worn off, he'd realize that a ninja of his capabilities should have been aware of her existence long before she chose to introduce herself.

As it was, one minute he was secure in his cloaking charm and going about his duty and the next he found himself staring into the deepest pair of ocean-blue eyes that he could ever remember seeing. If he'd been standing on the beach in Okinawa where the waters were still clean and it was a clear, sunny day, then the sea would have been just as unfathomable as those eyes.

"Hello there." The voice was light and feminine, a soprano unless he'd missed his guess, but not a singing voice. Her pitch was strong and clear, but he could tell she'd never trained either. There was a natural quality about her voice, however, that made him think she'd be just as comfortable snapping off orders as making small talk.

Aoshi took a step back and the eyes reformed into a cunning little face dangling upside down in his path. The face belonged to a young girl of indiscriminate age who was currently dangling by her knees from the branch of a cherry tree. She winked playfully at him and the expression brought her lively catlike features to life. Those blue-green eyes sparkled with barely restrained mischief as though the entire world was a joke that only she was privy to.

Quick as a thought she flipped down from the branch to alight in a crouch at Aoshi's feet without scattering so much as a ruffle of dust to mark her landing. She grinned up at him and popped up to make an impertinent little half bow.

When she straightened he got his first good look at the rest of her. Her body was straight and narrow as a boy's, but no boy had ever had those supple limbs. If there was a word to describe her in between actions then it was 'willowy,' but when she moved every gesture she made was charged with pure energy, and she was always in motion.

"Who are you?" The words were out of his mouth before he thought better of it. Aoshi mentally frowned at his lack of control, but the girl's sudden appearance had set him off balance.

"That's a good question," she shot back with a sassy grin on her face. "But my Onee-sama always told me that only thoughtless men ask for a girl's name before giving their own."

Manners... there was a reason he despised them, and life was constantly reminding him of it. "Shinomori," he snapped, not willing to give his personal name. After all, he'd left his original family name behind in the dusty annals of history and no one was ever going to tie him to it again. The name itself wasn't enough to bind him to anything, even supposing a little girl like this would try.

"Makimachi," The reply was instant and as fallacious as his own. That glimmer in her eye told him that she knew that he knew and didn't care. If he wanted her real name then he'd have to work for it.

A thousand questions sprang into his throat. 'Why are you here', 'How did you track me undetected', and of course, 'Who are you really' numbered among the most urgent. As it was, he settled for: "Do we have business?"

She pondered that. A slim white finger tapped her small chin as she balanced her weight on one leg and cast hers eyes skyward. The gesture was unnecessarily dramatic, but seemed to fit in with her impish nature. "Perhaps." She said finally, drawing the word out so that it meant 'most definitely, but I'm not telling you what.'

Makimachi showed absolutely no signs of getting to the point and the damned shinai that Aoshi had been spending the entire day trailing after was getting impatient. He was near his target and the vibrations of the bamboo sword only confirmed it. "If you have a dilemma that concerns me then, state it and begone. I have no time to waste waiting for you to get to your point."

It was a point in her favor that Makimachi didn't even acknowledge the uncouth nature of his statement; in fact, he was fairly sure she hadn't even noticed. Instead, she looked right past the tone of his words to the meaning behind them. "You're in a hurry and I'm holding you up, do forgive." She stepped out of his path with another one of those semi-mocking, semi-respectful bows.

* * *

Misao grinned as Shinomori stalked past her.

He was every bit as brusque and taciturn as rumor described, although one would think someone would have mentioned how very good looking he was. Misao watched his rear appreciatively as he strode down the street. Oh yes, that was one fine specimen of the male species, and those eyes! She shivered at the memory of those icy blue orbs.

'I could get used to having that one around,' she thought as she jogged to catch up. After all, she hadn't said anything about leaving him alone.

Shinomori pointedly ignored her as he resumed the consuming task of pointing his bamboo sword at things. The passers-by continued to ignore the both of them; apparently his notice-me-not extended to cover his companions as well. Misao followed in silence, knowing that eventually he'd snap.

…or rather she would have, Misao corrected herself as her pocket watch chimed the hour inside her vest. She pulled it out. Sure enough, it had just struck six, and Kaoru had been expecting her home at five thirty!

"Whoops, looks like you're not the only one behind schedule!" she chirped and dropped a sisterly kiss on Shinomori's cheek before he could bat her away. "Another time? Ta!"

Misao could practically feel Shinomori's glare grinding into the space between her shoulder blades. She resisted the urge to peek over her shoulder and instead vaulted over the wall into one of her across-the-street neighbor's courtyards. An elderly woman sighed and clucked with disapproval as Misao darted through her laundry lines and out the front gate. Everyone was too used to the young girl's comings and goings to raise more than a token resistance. Now, if Shinomori had followed her, then the old bat would have started shrieking fit to raise the dead and her three large sons would have come after him with axes and clubs.

There were times when Misao really loved her neighborhood.

Kaoru was setting up the dinner trays just as Misao skidded into the door. "I can explain!" she wailed as she fell to her knees beside the older girl.

"I should hope so." Kaoru said coolly. "Your mother was looking for you." She didn't look up, but as she arranged the bowls and platters on the little lap trays Misao noticed a series of red stripes on her forearms, barely hidden by her tattered sleeves. Her stomach sank.

"I'm so sorry, Kaoru-nee, I lost track of time. Is she still around?" Misao asked glumly.

Kaoru shook her head. "She and Shura have gone out for a few hours. They'll be dining elsewhere." She paused to tug her sleeves down. "She was only going to make you go along. My arms… that's from something else, it's not your fault." She was lying; she always did when she took a beating for Misao or Yahiko. 'I fell down the steps' or 'it's just heat rash'. Misao had heard all the variants.

Misao tightened her jaw and didn't say anything. Talking about it would only upset Kaoru. Then she wouldn't talk to anyone for hours, preferring a brooding silence while Yahiko and Misao glared at one another. Instead, Misao helped set up the trays and then went to call Yahiko in for supper.

Dinner was a quiet affair, but that was hardly a change. Eating required a certain concentration and Kaoru had taught Misao and Yahiko both better manners than to talk with their mouths full. She'd enforced the lessons with a shinai.

After supper they all went about their usual chores. Yahiko swept the floors, Kaoru tidied the dishes, and Misao did anything she could manage without her adoptive sister noticing. That usually meant putting away the supper ingredients or tidying the shelves in the pantry. Once chores were done Kaoru took her mending into her bedroom, where she had a secret stash of candles. Misao and Yahiko inevitably began to amuse themselves in the one way they could share.

'Who's the Better Thief?' originally it had been Yahiko's way of teaching Misao his old pickpocket and house-lifting tricks. She'd been a quick study and these days they continually strove to out-do one another by stealing bigger and better things from the hated Mistresses of the house, keeping them for a few days, and then returning them in just such a way that it seemed they'd never been gone at all.

* * *

Sewing was perhaps the most boring task known to man.

Kaoru swore as she pricked her finger for what seemed the hundredth time. She set the kimono down before her blood could stain the fabric. The blood was coppery on her tongue as she sucked on the injury; not necessarily bad, but it definitely had its own unmistakable taste. Once the wound ran dry she dried her hand on her apron. That was enough self mutilation for the night…

As she repacked her sewing kit, the door to her bedroom slammed open and Yahiko threw himself inside. Being ten, his grin was a mile wide, and he temporarily forgot his 'samurai dignity,' sprawling at her knees to put his head in her lap.

"I am the greatest thief there ever was," he informed her.

She snorted and smothered a smile. "Are you now? What did you do; steal the Battousai's own wakizashi off his bum as he bent over to get his mail? Or perhaps you lifted Yamagata Aritomo-sama's wallet?" she guessed and was rewarded by a look of amused disgust from her apprentice.

"No!" He gave a long-suffering sigh and produced three elegant hair bobs that glimmered golden in the candlelight.

Her blood ran cold as she recognized Yumi's favorite hair pins. She only wore them on the most special of occasions and Kaoru had once heard her telling Shura that they'd been a gift from the only man she'd ever loved.

More importantly, they were kept in an ensorcelled case that alerted Yumi whenever it was opened by any hand but her own. Yumi hadn't been wearing the pins when she returned from her evening out, so there was nowhere else that he could have gotten them.

"Oh no…" she whimpered.

She was the only one in the house, with the possible exception of Shura, who knew what Yumi really was. Yahiko yelped in protest as she snatched the pins out of his hand and sprang to her feet. Yumi would be on her way already and the only hope there was… Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut and thrust the hair ornaments into the collar of her kimono. Yahiko came after her, but she shut the door on him and slipped the hidden lock. She'd never thought she'd be glad that Yumi had the thing installed.

By the time Yumi found her, she was behind the kitchen drawing water as though she hadn't been near her room. The knock-out spell hit her from behind and the last thing she was aware of before darkness claimed her was hands rifling through her clothing and the glint of gold as Yumi found her belongings.

* * *

She didn't really come to until after it was all over, but she had to have been awake for it or else she wouldn't have remembered everything that had happened.

He'd been thorough, that man Yumi had brought into the dojo. He'd come for the precise purpose of her punishment. The stinging blows from Yumi's riding crop weren't going to suffice this time and obviously she didn't trust her own restraint.

Kaoru's split-second decision had been correct. Yumi had to let her live or else she'd lose the dojo and whatever it was she'd gained along with it. Yahiko was a street brat. If he'd suddenly vanished and turned up as a floater in the river then no one would care except her and Misao… and neither of them could have stopped it from happening.

It had been a choice: her pain or his life.

Kaoru had always wondered what she'd do in a situation like this. She'd always hoped that this was the choice she'd have made, but she'd always known that there was no way to judge the depths of her soul until she was faced with the circumstances. It was a small comfort to know that she'd been right.

Pain was a distant thing, as though a dense fog separated her from her own body. Occasionally it would flash in the distance like lightening in a storm, but she was aware of it more intellectually than anything else. Each flash came closer and soon the shock was going to wear off. Then the pain would be hers once more.

At least two of her ribs were broken. She'd felt them give under his booted heel, and tomorrow her back would be a mottled crazy-quilt of black and blue bruises. Amazingly enough her arms and legs had been untouched, as well as her face, so that her clothes would hide the damage. No doubt about it, Yumi had hired a professional.

Kaoru tried moving, but that turned out to be a very bad idea indeed. Oh yes, the room spun in sickening whirls as she lay panting on the ground where she'd started after a single abortive attempt at getting to her knees.

"O-oohhh…" the groan made her stomach turn and not for the first time she wondered if she wasn't hurt on the inside beyond her poor ribs. Her stomach felt… well, tender, but also curiously empty. The tang of vomit echoed in the back of her throat, but she didn't remember heaving. Hands touched her and rolled her onto her back. Kaoru was positive that she screamed, or at least moaned. The pain in her chest lessened as her weight came off it. There was an incessant buzzing in her ears that she vaguely recognized as human speech.

"… it's bad… doctor! We have…" Kaoru couldn't make out more than one word in five, but the intent was fairly plain as a smaller pair of hands levered her up and onto the narrow expanse of someone's back. The movement cast her back into merciful darkness before the unfortunate individual carrying her hit the geas barrier.

* * *

For the second time in a single day, the little brat surprised him, although this time Aoshi had a hard time holding it against her.

It was late and the sun had set long ago, yet he was still combing the neighborhood. With ever step the shinai's vibrations grew stronger. The girl was nearby, so close he could practically smell her perfume. Supper had been a skewer of chicken and some bad takoyaki out of a stall. As the night wore on him, Aoshi began to grudgingly admit that if he wore himself out with the search then he'd be in no condition to handle whatever it was he'd find along with the girl. Odds were things wouldn't be pretty.

As things turned out, the situation wasn't as bad as he'd anticipated. Things were still pretty wretched, but he wasn't faced with a one-on-one spell duel.

As he weighed the choice between renting a room for the night and making his way back to his quarters, Makimachi rounded the corner ahead of him like the devil himself nipped at her heels. She was white as a sheet and was that… yes, there were blood smears on the front of her dark vest. She skidded to a halt when she caught sight of him and just stared for a minute before an idea visibly lit up her eyes.

"Shinomori! You're a mage, right?"

He didn't answer, but she didn't give him a chance to. The girl latched onto his arm and started hauling him away in the direction she'd come from. His first instinct was to break the hold, but something about the silent desperation in her pale face made him change his mind.

The girl was close and he was almost completely certain that she lived with or near a dark mage. What were the odds that whatever had happened to Makimachi and the mage were unrelated? As if in response to his thoughts, the shinai began to burn in his hand the further she brought him.

When they reached their destination, Aoshi wondered why he hadn't just gone there first and saved everyone the heartache. As he stood at the gate the power emanating from the house was enough to knock him on his ass. Even more so, the entire site felt diseased, fouled; there was no one way to describe it, but suddenly a lot of things began to make sense.

A Node, the bastard had found an uncharted Ley-line nexus! No wonder no one had noticed him raise the power necessary to cast a complete geas, he'd just tapped into the energy already supplied by the earth! "What's going on?" he turned to Makimachi and asked his question far too late.

"I don't know." Her shoulders were shaking with suppressed tension. "My friend… she's been beaten badly. I tried to take her to a doctor, but I can't get her past the gates. It's like there's a wall…" she paused, her breathing uneven, and then turned eyes towards him wide with hope. "Can you help?"

Hope… it blazed in her eyes, and although he wanted to be disgusted with himself he felt vague stirrings of gallantry. He turned away. "Take me to her." He snapped. It would take hours to tear down the geas, even supposing he had the power to do it. No point in telling Makimachi that, luckily for all concerned, he knew more about healing magic than he liked to admit. Makimachi didn't argue, protest, or even ask a question. She took his words at face value and led him inside.

The girl lay on a reed mat on the kitchen floor. A young boy knelt by her side with a bowl of water and cloth. The water in the bowl was flushed red from his attempts at cleaning her wounds.

Aoshi had seen suffering in all its varied forms during his career as Okashira to his Oniwabanshuu. He'd seen men literally cubed into square-inch bits and rent limb from limb, but those had been fighters, men of violence. The girl… someone had gone over her thoroughly, with a keen eye for detail. All the damage was located where clothing would cover it and none of it appeared to be lasting.

Still he didn't like the look of the purpling flesh over her ribs. The world receded into the background as Aoshi knelt at the girl's side. He noticed a glimmer of sapphire iris from beneath her smoky black lashes and the corner of her mouth quirked in what appeared to be a reassuring smile.

'She doesn't know who I am,' he realized, 'If Makimachi or that boy had been there when she opened her eyes, they'd have gotten the same smile.'

Head trauma? Aoshi scowled and cast a diagnostic aura over her entire body. It was a bloody waste of energy, but even professionals could make potentially lethal mistakes and he was no doctor to detect internal bleeding just by looking. Cool green light enveloped Kaoru's body (by now he was positive that this was the girl he'd been looking for); for a second, the light held steady before turning a sickly yellow around the crown of her head and at her back and sides. The area over her ribs was blood red, confirming his initial suspicion that they were broken.

Her confusion was the result of a nasty knock to the head. She would be disoriented and confused for a while, but she would suffer no more than a lingering headache, and the goose-egg forming on the back of her head reassured him that the bleeding was taking place outside the skull and not inside. Setting her ribs was a simple process and he used a spell on the bones to accelerate the knitting process.

All the while, Makimachi and the boy hung back watching anxiously as he worked over her wounds. The boy vanished when Aoshi ordered him to get her a change of clothes and returned with a yukata that wasn't in much better condition than the one she'd been wearing.

The recollection of Kenshin's troubles getting her to accept a new kimono even when he owed it to her stifled his initial urge. There probably wasn't a respectable clothing shop open at this hour anyway. The garment was clean and whole and at the moment that was what counted. Makimachi changed her and Aoshi turned his back in deference to her modesty. His mind was occupied by weighing the various merits of ointments to speed the healing of those bruises. His own blend would probably be best, but it had been formulated with a man's physiology in mind. Would it be as effective on a woman's softer skin?

"… how long's he gonna be here? We don't have much longer…"

The boy's voice distracted Aoshi from his thoughts, but he deliberately maintained his faraway expression while he listened to the boy whisper in Makimachi's ear.

"He'll be here as long as it takes." Makimachi was harder to hear. She knew how to modulate her tone and soften her sibilants so her voice didn't carry, but Aoshi's hearing had been permanently enhanced years ago. "If she gets back before he's done, then we'll distract the bitch somehow."

Makimachi's voice was calm, but Aoshi didn't need to look at her aura to know that the girl was fairly vibrating with rage. It was a cold, controlled kind of wrath: the killing kind. The intent bled off her in waves, but there was still something vulnerable about her.

'She's never killed before,' Aoshi decided. It had been so long since he'd been around someone who hadn't that he'd almost forgotten how it felt to watch a person make that fateful decision.

The conversation died the second he turned around as though he'd slit its throat. Makimachi watched him coldly through those ocean-colored eyes. He could feel the questions boiling inside her, but was grateful that she knew better than to waste precious time asking them.

"Do you know who did this to her?" Aoshi kept his own questions curt and to the point.

Makimachi nodded once. "My mother hired a man to do it. Kaoru-nee, ah... Kaoru is the housekeeper here. Something happened… it's not important what, but when I tried to take her out of the house, I couldn't get her within five steps of the outside walls. The air turned hard as stone and I couldn't move." She frowned. "However, when I put her down and came back the invisible wall was gone."

Aoshi nodded. It fit the theory; moreover, Makimachi had just confirmed the girl's identity and a soft groan from the direction of the pallet told him that his patient was coming to.

* * *

The pain that had been lingering in the distance of her head pounced on Kaoru with the ferocity of a thousand tigers the second she opened her eyes. A broken sob broke free of her throat as the dull hot throbbing in her chest reminded her of what had gone before. A cool hand came to rest on her brow. A low masculine voice spoke a word that resonated with sheer power and then emerald light suffused her vision. The pain fled in the face of that healing light and when the light faded the pain didn't come back. She sensed it lurking just beyond the edges of her awareness, waiting for the lingering effects of the green light to die away so that it might return.

"Tell me your name."

The voice was unfamiliar, but it wasn't the gravely voice of the man who'd beaten her. When Kaoru opened her eyes she found a tall man kneeling by her bedside. She could see the familiar fixtures of her kitchen behind him and while it was more of a feeling than actual knowledge, she knew Misao and Yahiko were somewhere nearby.

"Ka…" her throat went dry and she tried again, "Kaoru."

The man's pale blue eyes narrowed. "Your whole name, if you please. I won't be able to help you if I don't know exactly who you are."

"I can't…" Tear sprang into her eyes, but she blinked them back. Honestly, she'd done more crying in the past three days that she had in the past eight years.

The man was implacable. "Try." He commanded. His hand was still resting on her forehead and for the first time she realized that power was trickling through the contact. The only time she'd ever felt anything similar was when Yumi rearranged the restrictions of the spell binding her. Only… only Yumi's power felt like scummy water and this man, he felt like an arctic waterfall: cold, powerful, and undeniable.

"Kamiya Kaoru…" for the first time in a decade Kaoru heard her own name ringing in her ears. She repeated it just to be sure she'd really said it. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru. I'm the oldest daughter of Kamiya Kojishirou… I… my name is…" This time the tears really started to fall. "I haven't said that in a long time."

Something like a smile softened those pale eyes. "I imagine not. That is a very nasty geas you're under. How long ago was it set?" He kept his voice soft in deference to her ears, which were fairly sensitive at the moment, but nothing could drown out the strangled squeak that could only have come from Misao. None of the questions she expected came pouring from that quarter, though; the man silenced Kaoru's little stepsister with a single glare… neat trick.

"Um… it'll be ten years next spring." She said finally after a few moments' worth of laborious calculating. "When Yumi learned of my father's death."

His mouth thinned at the mention of Yumi's name. "This 'Yumi,' what relation is she to you?"

"My stepmother," Kaoru spoke quickly when she felt the flow of energy begin to falter. "She married my father ten years ago."

If anything his expression darkened even more. "Her maiden name?"

"Komagata," The reply came from Misao. Kaoru sought the source of her voice until Misao came to kneel at her other side. The younger girl looked strained, but picked up Kaoru's hand and held it between her own. "Why didn't you say anything?" she whispered.

"I couldn't. I'm sorry, Misao…" The geas tightened around her throat as the energy from the strange man petered out.

He sunk back on his heels and watched as Misao curled up in a ball beside Kaoru, still holding her stepsister's hand like she was afraid it was going to vanish. He was a little pale, making his long black hair appear even darker.

"Who are you?" The question was belated, but at that point she was pretty sure that he was trustworthy. Although it would be interesting to find out what a mage of his caliber was doing in their neighborhood.

"Shinomori." He said curtly. "Himura sent me to find you." He nodded to something just out of her field of vision. When she followed the gesture she found her lost shinai leaning against the doorframe.

Somehow, Kaoru just wasn't surprised. It was exactly the sort of hair-brained stunt Idiot-sama would cook up. With more money than sense it only made sense that he wouldn't limit himself to market days if he could find out her home address. "That moron…" she growled and squeezed her eyes shut. "How much would it cost me to have you go back and tell him I'm dead?"

"Who's Himura?" Misao looked from Kaoru to Shinomori and back. "Did I miss something?"

Kaoru groaned and rolled over on her side. She really wasn't up to explaining the convoluted intricacies of her relationship (or lack thereof) with Idiot-sama to Misao tonight, perhaps not ever. If she had her way, the foppish ass would drop off the face of the planet and leave her in peace. Unfortunately, the Gods would never be so kind. Nor, it appeared, were the absentee deities kind enough to let Misao drop the subject.

* * *

End Chapter Four

* * *

_Seiyuu__: Here's the new chapter! Thanks to the lovely JaneDrew for editing!_


	6. Deception

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

* * *

Chapter Five: Deception

* * *

Once again, life at the Dojo went back to what passed for normal. Shinomori took a room down the street from the Dojo and every time Yumi stepped out for so much as an hour he was knocking at the back gate almost before she shook the dust of the courtyard off her heels.

Under Shinomori's expert care, the bruises on Kaoru's back faded to a sickly yellowish-green by Friday and her ribs didn't pain her unless she overexerted herself. Luckily Misao conned Shinomori into doing the heavy lifting when he wasn't asking Kaoru questions about anything and everything she knew that might pertain to the geas. When he exhausted her knowledge he took measurements of the Dojo and filled notebook after notebook with notes, calculations, and strange mystical symbols.

Saturday came around so soon that Kaoru barely realized it had arrived until Misao reminded her to get changed so that she'd be ready when it was time to go.

She was still more than a little sore, but with Misao pretty much living in her pocket since the revelation of their true relationship she was looking forward to the few scraps of alone time she could glean before Idiot-sama found her in the market. That could be anywhere from twenty seconds to two hours depending on whether Shinomori had reported recent events to his employer. She liked to think he hadn't since Idiot-sama hadn't appeared on her doorstep with god-only-knew-what that he'd bought on the way there.

As always she made her rounds with the deliverymen before considering the contents of her basket. She had half a mind to patronize a different fruit stand this week. He would be waiting for her at the old one, she was positive of it. Still, that felt like cowardice. To delay the decision she went to the docks first and picked up two fillets of sea bream before turning towards the direction of the fruit stands.

Her steps lingered and slowed as she returned to the throng of shoppers. She really didn't feel up to facing Himura, she wasn't sure if it was because of the way he had to touch her every time they met or if it was just the look in his eyes. She didn't want those eyes to see what she'd been reduced to…

She snorted. "Since when did you start caring about what he thinks, Kaoru?" she chided herself and forced some energy back into her stride. After all, she still had to tell him what she thought of his sending a spy into her home. Oh yes, Himura Kenshin was going to catch hell over that one. Shinomori was worth his weight in gold, but he was still Himura's eyes and ears in the Dojo.

Unfortunately, Kaoru became so preoccupied by her thoughts that she didn't notice Himura's gray sleeved arm as it circled around her waist and tightened. It wasn't until his muscles contracted around her rib cage that she realized what was happening and by then she was helpless to stop it.

The world narrowed down to a tiny point of light and tears sprang into her eyes. She must have cried out because he released her immediately. When her vision cleared once more she was on her knees with Himura's hands on her shoulders.

"Don't… do that again…" Kaoru's breath came in unsteady little gasps, but she managed to get it out before he could say anything.

Himura's eyes were golden again and his jaw was threaded so tightly that she was certain she could hear his teeth groan in protest. "What happened?" His voice was gruff and brooked no argument… not that she paid any attention. The day she was afraid of Idiot-sama would be the day she danced nude in the streets.

"It doesn't concern you." She said coldly and started to get to her feet. Himura grip on her shoulders tightened. He was stronger than she'd thought, she realized with surprise. He held her down so easily she might as well have been a child, his hands didn't even shake.

"You're in pain." He said bluntly. "You've been in pain since the first time I met you. You do concern me, Kaoru. Whether you like it or not, I care about you and I refuse to stand idly by while you're being abused!" He shook her… gently if such a thing were possible, but however he did it Kaoru didn't feel any pain from her maltreated ribs. "Why are you so damn stubborn?" He demanded.

"Why do you care?" It burst out of her in a half-furious half-anguished wail. The one question she'd been wanting to ask since the insane man had attached himself to her. "What does it matter? What is it that you want from me?"

He sat back as she screamed at him, eyes contemplative. When the last strains of her voice faded he touched her cheek softly and traced the outline of her face. A rueful little smile lingered on his. "I care… because I do. Don't ask why. I don't know. As for what I want…" he took a breath and looked her in the eyes. "I want you. With me. I want your trust and one day I want your love. For that I'm willing to give you everything that I have and everything that I am."

* * *

Kaoru was in shock and had been since the moment he'd inadvertently proposed to her. She was docile as a child and made no protest when he hailed a carriage and let him hand her up. It was nice that she was being amenable for a change, but Kenshin knew that the moment was coming that she was going to snap out of it and give him hell.

His first instinct was to take her back to his town house or better yet his estate outside of the city and keep her there until Aoshi presented him with the bloody head of whoever had hurt her. Unfortunately the few reports he'd received from Aoshi only confirmed that she had a very limited amount of freedom. Either one was likely further than she could go. Fortunately he'd rented a room the day before over by the storefronts so that he'd have a convenient place to wait for her to appear. He took her there.

The room was sparsely furnished with only a tall western table and a few chairs scattered about. He vaguely recalled the landlord saying that he usually let it out to a group of poker players from the Americas on Sundays. Before she could protest, Kenshin scooped Kaoru up the waist and sat her on the table.

For the first time since he'd made his untimely declaration, Kaoru's eyes focused on him. "What are you doing?" she didn't sound angry, but one could never tell where she was concerned.

"Where are you hurt?" Kenshin tried to keep his voice steady for all that he felt like shouting and breaking things. If he yelled then she'd yell and at that particular moment he only wanted to assess the damage. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew how bad it was.

Her black brows beetled over her blue eyes, but she replied easily enough. "My ribs on the left side." She gasped as his hands went for the tie on her obi. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Let me see it." He hated the quiet desperation he could hear in his own voice. Unfortunately he _was_ desperate and there was nothing he could do about it until he had a warm body to murder; specifically the one that had hurt her.

"My ribs are fine, Himura!" she spat. "You don't need to see them. Your spy set them and they're knitting just fine. You just want my clothes off!"

Humor filled him, the completely inappropriate kind. "Make no doubt that I want to see you –_all of you_-, but at the moment I don't think you're up to what I would _do_ with you after." He grinned and something in his expression must have surprised her. "I won't touch you in any way you don't want me to."

She didn't believe him, but miraculously Kaoru let him untie her obi. The worn folds of her kimono fell open to reveal her modestly bound breaths and her under-skirt. Kenshin grudgingly forced his eyes away from the trim outline of her body and focused on the ugly purple bruise on her left side. He didn't have to touch in order to know that those were broken ribs. He could smell Shinomori's power seeping through her skin however and it had the minty tang of healing magic.

The scent was too strong however to be only centered on her ribs. Kenshin shot a glance at her. "Where else are you hurt?"

Kaoru colored prettily and shrugged her kimono off her shoulders. Taking the hint, Kenshin circled around the table to find her back literally colored with unsightly bruises that were all fading to jaundiced yellow. Red anger flooded his vision just the way it had when Kaoru crumpled at his feet.

Someone would pay for this with his life!

* * *

Kenshin's arms slid around Kaoru from behind, but this time he was as careful with her as if she were made of glass. "I'm going to kill the man responsible for this." His voice was a sibilant hiss. His breath was hot against the back of her sensitive neck and when she gasped his grip tightened.

"Ah… you…" Coherent thought fled her mind as she felt the warm wet rasp of his tongue against her skin. One hand trickled down her front to splay against her flat tummy. Something quivered deep inside her and it wasn't unpleasant –it felt right somehow. The other hand rose to touch her lips, lingering on the bottom half.

His hands left her for a moment, but he was in front of her and holding her face before she could blink. Amber eyes bored into her and his tongue flickered across his lips.

* * *

Kaoru had no idea what she looked like sitting there before him laid out like a feast. Her lips were parted and her breath came in little pants that did interesting things to her chest. Kenshin's fingers itched to unbind those magnificent breasts so that he could cup her in his palm and taste her flesh.

It had been so long since he'd wanted a woman the way he wanted Kaoru: mind, body, heart, and soul. He'd never wanted to give all that in return. She had no way of knowing how completely she'd come to possess him without even lifting a finger.

He wasn't going to be able to keep from touching her. The taste of her skin still lingered on his tongue and he wanted more.

Kaoru's mouth opened with innocent ease just like it had the last time, but now he wasn't contenting himself with a mere promise of things to come. He wanted her and his kiss reflected ever possessive moment, sleepless night, and jealous thought he'd had since knocking her down in the street. She whimpered against his mouth, but her fingers clutched at his shoulders and held him close.

Kenshin fumbled with the bindings on her breasts, but Kaoru lifted a pale hand and pulled out the bottom layer with a single tug. The rest of the cloth fell around her waist like water leaving her soft breasts free for his perusal.

* * *

When Kenshin bent his head down to her chest Kaoru had no idea what to expect, but the first brush of that nimble tongue of his over her tender nipple left little to doubt. A moan broke free of her throat and he nibbled and gently sucked that sensitive nub.

It felt so good that she barely even noticed his hands go for the folds of her skirt until the folds were gathered around her waist. She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but speech abandoned her when he placed a hand beneath her knee and lifted her thigh to bare her womanhood to him. Nameless longing shot through her and all she knew that was whatever was coming she did _not_ want him to stop!

"Tell me to stop, Koibito, and I'll never touch you again until you give me leave." His voice was a shock that jarred her back into reality. Kenshin was staring up at her with eyes the color of clear honey. His fingers brushed against her bottom dangerously close to her. Color flooded her cheeks as she realized that he was asking permission to touch her… _there_.

"Kenshin…" His name felt odd on her tongue, but well hell if she couldn't use his first name now then she'd never be able to. His eyes darkened to pure gold and his breath came in a slow exhalation.

"Say it again." He growled.

She hadn't said his name before now had she? He'd always been 'Idiot-sama' or 'Himura' at best. "_Kenshin_." She repeated shyly and was rewarded by a slow sexy grin.

"I like the way you say my name." he purred and went in for another kiss, slow this time. He nibbled at her bottom lip afterwards. "You break it up into two parts: '_Ken_-shin'. God, it sounds like you're saying something completely different."

Kaoru squirmed as his fingers teased the edges of her labia. Each little touch electrified her and her whimpering for more. Her body knew what it wanted, but Kaoru had no idea how to translate that desire into speech. "Please…don't" she gasped. "Stop!" His fingers retreated, leaving her bereft. Kenshin's warmth started to leave her and she realized that he'd misinterpreted her words.

She tightened her grip on his shoulder and glared up at him with indignation simmering in her blue eyes. "I said don't stop!" she snapped. How dare he start in on her and then just quit!

His dark red brows lifted in amusement and his touch returned. Kaoru sighed in bliss as he pressed past her gates and into that wonderful melting warmth that was consuming her alive. Kaoru's sobbing moans urged him on deeper until she felt him go up against the tenuous barrier of her hymen. She squirmed a little at the unfamiliar sensation, but Kenshin's fingers retreated out of her body.

He laughed at her whimper of protest and laid a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Ah… no, Koibito, we're saving that for our wedding night." He purred into her ear and lifted his glistening fingers up so that she could see. "That's all you, my love." He grinned and slowly licked his fingers clean never letting his eyes stray from her once as he did so.

Mesmerized, Kaoru watched every flick and glide of his mobile tongue. She remembered all too well the havoc that wicked thing played when he invaded her mouth and all of a sudden she was aware of all the other possible things he could do with it as well.

Things might have proceeded from there only Kaoru felt the first few tugs of the geas begin to echo in her chest. She swore. Kenshin blinked in confusion until she started to wrestle back into her clothes. He pulled a pocket watch out of his coat and checked the time. Then he swore too and started to help.

"We'll finish this later." He promised with a quick kiss as his fingers fumbled with her obi. Kaoru grinned and batted his hands away.

With her obi securely fastened she hopped down from the table and scooped up her basket. Kenshin arms encircled her waist from behind and for a second she let herself drift in his embrace. Who'd have thought…?

"Later…" she agreed breathlessly before he treated her to another of his earth shattering kisses. This time Kaoru kissed back with everything she had and was rewarded by the distinctly novel experience of having a man melt in her hands. She could taste the lingering traces of her own arousal on his tongue mixed in with the citrus taste of him. Her hands came up of their own volition and tugged the tie out of his hair to let the thick glossy stuff spill over her fingers.

The geas beckoned again, more instantly this time and Kaoru felt Kenshin growl against her mouth before forcibly pulling himself away. His flame colored hair was wild around his face framing his blazing gold eyes. "Go." He said hoarsely. "Go or I won't be able to let you leave!"

'… but I don't want to leave!' the though came unbidden and Kaoru banished it. Taking one last lingering look at the man she'd despised only a few short hours ago she turned and fled.

* * *

Letting her walk out that door was without question the hardest thing Kenshin ever did in his entire life. Even holding himself still and not charging after her took every shred of will power he possessed.

If he closed his eyes, Kenshin could still see her laid open and panting with desire –all for him. Then he saw the hideous bruising on her side and the rage came back in a torrential downpour. Kaoru, his lover, his love was still in danger and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it except cool his heels and wait for Aoshi to report.

He could still taste her on his lips, just remembering that last passionate kiss made his blood heat all over again. 'I knew she had it in her,' he mused. He'd seen that buried fire in her since the first time their eyes had met… a few seconds after she'd slapped him silly… and again when she'd beaten him into the ground.

"Good lord…" he muttered. "I'm a masochist!"

Then he remembered the feel of her satiny smooth skin beneath his hands.

He was a masochist all right and he loved every second of it.

* * *

At that very second on the other side of town Misao was perched on the window seat in Aoshi's small, grubby, and hideously expensive rental room. The onmitsu was seated at his table/desk absorbed in mapping out the parameters of Kaoru's geas based on the conversion of power that Yumi could draw off her little node.

She wouldn't have told him, but Misao was almost as interested in his work as she was in the man himself. From what she'd learned in the days since his fortuitous arrival Aoshi was actually a leading mind in his field. She was watching a Master at work and Misao was paying keen attention to everything he did. Later she'd pepper him with her questions, but that looked important and had to do with her beloved Kaoru-nee (who was more of a Nee than she'd realized) Such things were not to be interrupted.

Still, she couldn't help but admire the elegant lines of his hands and his swift precise movements. Misao would never have predicted the day that she'd go for an intellectual, but here it was large as life and twice as sexy. Later she'd amuse herself by wondering what those hands would do on a different canvas; one of skin.

'I'm going to seduce this man,' Misao thought idly as she leaned over his shoulder to peek at his scratch sheet, which was covered with numbers. It wasn't a new decision, but rather one she'd come to over the course of several days.

She was pretty sure that her attentions would be well received. Sometimes when he thought no one was paying attention, Misao felt Aoshi's gaze lingering on her body. She wasn't sure what had his attention, she was hardly a voluptuous seductress or even as nicely filled out as her Kaoru-nee, but she had his interest and she wasn't complaining. Aoshi observed his personal space in a way that most people would call 'ascetic', but oddly enough he didn't protest no matter how close Misao got.

Misao was pretty sure this was the closest thing she'd ever get to encouragement from the man, but it didn't bother her. She liked him the way he was and perhaps that counted for more than she realized. As she leaned over him, Aoshi neither tensed nor looked at her. However she could practically feel his awareness of her.

You didn't see Aoshi's emotions so much as you felt them.

Just to see what would happen Misao let a warm gust of air caress the shell of his ear as she leaned back into her spot to watch from a distance once more. Unexpectedly a shiver ran through his entire body and he slammed down his pen to turn and loom over her.

"What. Do. You. Want. From. Me?" Each word was bitten out as if he was holding back a flood of words.

Misao didn't have to feign surprise. Aoshi's normally chill eyes were blazing and she could practically hear his teeth grinding. His hands slammed into the wall on either side of her head and he leaned in close.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Misao decided to act on his level and let her actions speak for her. His eyes widened when her head darted up to capture his mouth and his lips parted in surprise. Misao slid her tongue in past his barriers and lapped at his mouth like a kitten with cream. He tasted strong and smoky like richest coffee and she threaded her arms up around his neck as she continued to peruse his mouth.

Aoshi hung suspended in mid-motion for a split section before closing his hands around Misao's slender waist and lifting her up for a better angle. He settled his weight back against his table and Misao let her knees rest on the table top so she could straddle his lap.

Bliss! Misao groaned softly against Aoshi's mouth as his mobile hands roamed her body leaving trails of delicious energy in their paths. When the kiss broke Aoshi went for her throat and Misao gladly craned her head back to give his hot lips free access.

He paused breathing hard against her sternum. Misao squirmed a little, but he held her tight. "I am not the sort of man one toys with, Makimachi." He said after a while. "If this is a game to you then you will rue the day you met me."

"Misao," she corrected automatically. "Kamiya Misao." Misao ran her fingers through his short hair as she smiled down at him. "You must have a pretty low opinion of me if you think I play games. Sorry baby, the only game I play is 'for keeps'. I don't share well either. Also, don't threaten me. _Ever_. Any problems with that?"

Something like a smile warmed his eyes and he settled her more securely in his lap. "None at all."

* * *

Kaoru ran all the way home. The cool Autumn breeze took the pink stain from her cheeks, but nothing could erase the enduring sensation of Kenshin's hands scalded into her flesh. She could still hear him, feel him, taste him, smell him, and she never wanted it to end! Scratch that, she wanted more!

That wonderful citrus flavor mingled with musk dawdled on her tongue, making her wonder what his desire tasted like. At the moment she'd have given all she owned for the leisure to explore him and the boundaries of their passion. She wanted to feel him on every plane of her body and touch every inch of him. She wanted to claim him. She wanted to be mastered. She wanted everything and had no idea where to begin!

As usual she stepped in the gate the exact moment the Geas borders slammed down behind her. The malevolent energies behind her had roughly the same effect on her that a bucket of ice water had on a lit match.

Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut and forced her racing heart to beat at a more normal tempo. With great reluctance she banished the delightful images of Kenshin (delectably disheveled) and drew her tattered cloak of sullen dignity back around her. It wouldn't do to be too happy in Yumi's presence.

The groceries were quickly shelved in the kitchen and Kaoru hurried to finish the dinner preparations. As she was scaling the fish (mountain char today, oddly enough) Yahiko came scuttling into the kitchen with his brown eyes wide with shock. He gestured sharply for her to bend down to his level.

"Kaoru, you've got hear this!" he hissed into her ear. "Yumi and Shura are planning to kill someone!"

Kaoru's head snapped up and she automatically grabbed a dust rag then followed Yahiko to the hallway outside Yumi's dressing room. They arrived just in time to hear Shura's nasal whine echo through the shoji…

"…but Mother, he's dull! He hardly ever goes out into society even if he is rich enough to spit on a Rockefeller. He's a political novelty that the Meiji government trots out to impress the gaijin! I don't see what good marrying him is going to do!"

Yumi voice cracked like a whip. "You'll marry woo and marry whoever I tell you, girl, like it or not. Besides, it's not like the Battousai is going to live long enough to bed you. All you have to do is sign your name at the marriage register and be a convincing grieving widow for a short year. Himura's heart will stop at the altar if we get the proper spells in place."

"What if you don't, Mother? Then I'd be shackled to a monster and cut off from you. Himura Kenshin is dangerous. I've heard the stories… he slaughter people by the dozen during the Bakumatsu for the thrill of it! What makes you think a wife would last any longer? How do I know he won't wed me just for a sport kill?"

Kaoru's heart stuttered and died in her chest. Had she heard that right? Kenshin… the Battousai? They spoke of it as though it were common knowledge. She shuddered. Had she just given herself up to a murderer?

"Don't be ridiculous, stupid chit." Yumi said scornfully. "I know the milksop from Shishio-sama's revolt. The man's taken a vow to never kill again. He's just another disgusting idealist, just a little more skilled than others. Besides it's been ten years and he's weakened considerably. I wouldn't be trying now unless I knew I'd succeed. I've been watching him for ten years. Follow my orders exactly and you'll profit, but cross me at your peril."

Shura gave a long suffering sigh, obviously unaware of the lengths her mother was capable of going to. Kaoru bit her tongue to keep from making any noises. Yumi was casually plotting Kenshin's demise in there and had just name him as the greatest Hitokiri of time. While she refused to accept Yumi's word above any other source… too many things made sense when she looked at it that way: his strength, his speed, and that dangerous glint that appeared in his eyes when he dropped his playful exterior.

It wasn't too hard to imagine him as Battousai.

Not hard at all…

"Fine, I'll go to that stupid ball and distract him while you cast your spell. Just get it right, mother, please! You'll only get one shot. I'm not going to beard the lion in his den for you twice!" Shura agreed sulkily. "Has the Embassy sent our invitations?" she changed the subject.

"There won't be a second try." Yumi snorted. "Yes, they have. The Ball is Wednesday night and it's a Western Masquerade. I've already ordered our costumes from our usual Modiste. We have our final fittings tonight."

Kaoru stiffened. It was time to go. She shooed Yahiko away from the screen and they scuttled around the side of the house and back to the kitchen before the two women could leave the room. They barely made it back to their chores before Yumi came sweeping in amongst them for the nightly inspection.

She didn't linger, rather the woman obviously had other things on her mind. Yumi gave the kitchen a once over before clapping her hands for attention. When Kaoru and Kenshin were facing her she spoke. "Shura and I will be out of the house for the night and most of tomorrow. I expect you to carry on as if we were here though." She nodded. "That is all."

Kaoru waited until Yumi left and she heard the carriage outside pull away before she dropped her cleaver and sank to her knees. The geas ordered her to get up and DO something, but for once she had the strength to resist it for a while. That should have cheered her more than it did, but she couldn't think of anything except what she'd heard.

Yumi was planning to use Shura to kill Kenshin somehow… she was going to use a spell like the one on Kaoru to make him wed with her spider-child and then kill him the moment he was of no more use! Tears prickled her eyes as she contemplated that.

She couldn't… Yumi couldn't kill him…he… she… she loved him! Kaoru felt as though she'd been hit between the eyes with a hammer. She was in love with Kenshin. It was more than bodies. She wanted to find him and tell him 'yes'.

"... but he's the Battousai." She murmured to herself.

Kaoru didn't believe it on strength of Yumi's word. Who else could he be? The weight of all the lives he'd taken bowed those slender shoulders. She'd seen the sadness buried deep in his violet eyes, but hadn't really comprehended it.

"Kaoru? Are you all right?" Yahiko small hand settled on her shoulder and Kaoru steeled her jaw and looked up at him.

"I don't know how, but we're going to stop her."

* * *

End Chapter Five

* * *

_Seiyuu__: Don't kill me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! The olong and short of it is that I moved, switched jobs, and was without internet access for a period of months. I have this ready now so please don't kill me!_


	7. Preparation

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

* * *

Chapter Six: Preparation

* * *

Kenshin glared at the gilt edged invitation that his butler had delivered into his study.

He didn't want to attend Yamagata's stinking Embassy Ball. He was tired of being paraded around in front of ignorant foreigners like an over-bred lap dog. Still, he owed everything he had to his corrupt government dogs.

The armchair groaned in protest as he threw his weight back on it and glared at the innocent bit of paper. At least the stupid charade was on a Wednesday if anything interfered with his Saturday then blood going flow in rivers. This was the last weekend that he was going to sit around on his hands.

If he concentrated then he could still taste Kaoru's arousal on his lips. She'd been so sweet and innocent… and so very hunted.

His eyes narrowed and shaded to gold as he contemplated for the thousandth time the bruising on his beloved's ribs and back. She'd been beaten within an inch of her life and given no medical care save that which Shinomori snuck her on the sly. Kaoru couldn't be allowed to stay where she was. Her life was in danger and… and… and he could do _nothing_!

Kenshin slumped forward into his seat and buried his face in his hands. This impotence was something new and terribly unwelcome. All his life he'd always been able to eliminate the problems in his life and those around him, now this sweet girl needed him more than ever before and he was USELESS!

He wanted to kill something… no, no make that someone. He wanted to kill the mage who had his filthy claws in Kaoru and he wanted to kill the bastard who'd raised his hand to her.

…but he couldn't.

Because he didn't know where they WERE!

A glass shattered against the hearth and the fire roared as the alcohol it had contained fed the flame. Kenshin blinked as he realized that he'd thrown the glass. With a snarl, he tore himself away from the hearth and returned to prowling his study, seething with fruitless anger.

Shinomori's Gods had best have mercy on him and make sure he was ready to break the spell before Saturday because Kenshin was at the end of his line. He wasn't letting her go again. It wasn't going to happen. No.

Kenshin contemplated another glass of brandy, but reluctantly admitted that getting drunk wasn't going to help him. He already knew what he was going to do. He was going to tell his butler to brush down his dress-suit. He'd be a good boy and go to the stupid Embassy Ball and leave the magic to the experts. He'd trust Shinomori to keep Kaoru safe and bring her to him.

Just getting her was only half the work. When he had her safe with him then his part would begin. He'd gained Kaoru's interest, but her trust was something so fragile and tenuous that Kenshin didn't dare breathe on it for fear it would shatter beyond repair. Building upon that weak link between them was going to take all his time and energy. If he was smart then he'd be taking advantage of his alone time to prepare for that.

"Unfortunately I was never known for my brains." Kenshin sighed.

Misao and Aoshi took the news as best as could be expected.

They'd known something was wrong the second they crept in the back gate, following Yumi's ominous departure to find Kaoru kneeling on the ground, stubbornly defying the geas with such an expression of frustration, anger, and agony that Aoshi didn't even wait for Yahiko to ask him to lift the spell on her tongue.

Kaoru told her story with the comforting presence of Misao on one side, Yahiko on the other, and Shinomori's hands enveloping hers to physically transfer his spell. She told them everything starting with the first time she'd met Kenshin in Market to Yumi's declaration of intent. She wisely omitted the little interlude that had followed his inspection of her wounds, but otherwise her story was unabridged.

"So you're saying this rich and powerful guy wants to marry you and is willing to go toe-to-toe with Yumi to get you?" Naturally Misao latched onto the part of least importance in the entire tale. She bounced on her toes with a dazzling grin. "That's wonderful Kaoru-nee!"

"That's not important, Misao, she's planning to kill him!" Kaoru cried. "She's going to use Shura to ensnare him into some kind of spell like the one she's got on me!"

"No, she will not." Shinomori corrected quietly from behind. "He will have forewarning now. Please calm yourself, Kaoru-san. Himura would be the first to tell you that he wouldn't want you to worry over him. Now we must plan to find a way to foil Komagata-san's plot. Panicking will help no one."

"Himura… Aoshi-sama, isn't that the name of the man you said hired you?" Misao asked suddenly. "You work for him?"

Shinomori nodded. "Normally I arrange for his protection. However I have –_personal_ interest in his upcoming nuptials."

"Who is he marrying?" Kaoru frowned at the annoyance in her tone, but didn't apologize. Instead she looked away when confronted by three slightly exasperated but expectant looks. "I said he proposed. I didn't say I agreed."

"We'll discuss that later." Shinomori's voice quelled the broiling argument, but promised that it would be revived at a later date. "Now we need to find a way to get you to that Ball."

Kaoru blinked. "Can't one of you just go and tell him what's going to happen?" she cocked her head and looked at Misao and Yahiko. "I'm bound to this place, but none of you are. I don't see why Yahiko can't take a letter to Himura and let him know what will happen. All the man has to do is avoid the Ball."

"No, I'm afraid that isn't acceptable." Shinomori released his counterspell and circled around to face Kaoru. "Himura has responsibilities to the current government. Yumi's plotting is not an acceptable or believable excuse for him to miss it. He will have to attend to participate in Japan's show of strength to the Western Nations. Also, Yumi has given us an opportunity we'd be fools to waste."

Misao's blue-green eyes sharpened as she cottoned on to his meaning, but Kaoru was lost.

"What do you mean?" she pressed. "What opportunity?"

"She'll be away from the node." Misao prodded Kaoru's shoulder with a finger. "Most of the time she's here on her home turf where she's got the advantage of terrain and a handy power source. Forewarned is forearmed. We know where she's going to be and what she's going to try. We can _trap_ her!"

"Furthermore we will have her at our advantage." Shinomori extrapolated. "Yumi has always operated from the shadows, keeping a safe distance between herself and her victims. She chooses her own time and place. In the Ball there will be no shadows and she in unaccustomed to hiding in plain sight. When we foul her plan to trap Himura she will be off-balance and off-guard." He paused and gave a rare yet chilling smile. "My Oniwabanshuu are well accustomed to working in plain sight."

Kaoru pondered that. "So, why do I have to attend this ball?"

"It's in the nature of the spell she is intending to use." Misao volunteered. "You've proved that Himura has the hots for you. Attraction spells of any kind work by simulating the external symptoms of attraction: speeding up the pulse, raising body temperature, causing butterflies in the stomach, etc. Usually someone feeling these sorts of things automatically assume they're attracted to the person who is present when they occur." She winked. "However, if they're already attracted to someone else the victim of the spell invariably resists. If that person is present then the attraction spell never works because it can't force the emotional aspect of attraction."

"Also, if you're there you can get Himura out of the line of fire." Shinomori knelt before Kaoru and looked her in the eyes. "I think you know what kind of man he is. If he knows that she is after him then he will go and face her alone, which is exactly what she wants. My fighters and I can handle Yumi without help, but we cannot have Himura underfoot. That is why we need you to both neutralize the spell and keep him out of harm's way. Do you understand?"

"Isn't there any other way?" Kaoru asked weakly. There was absolutely no way she could fake being some kind of…lady. "I don't think I can do it… I mean, I'm a maid! A housekeeper if you're feeling generous. I don't know anything about Balls…"

"You will come Wednesday." Shinomori promised in a dark tone.

Kaoru didn't realize it at the time, but Aoshi was dead serious about getting her to that Ball. He'd lied when he told her that there was no other way to handle the situation. If Kaoru hadn't been involved then he would have quietly removed Yumi from the Ballroom, slit her throat, and dumped her in the canal minus her jewelry to fake a robbery. However the situation was ripe with opportunity for Himura to finally woo and win the stubborn chit.

Misao had picked up on his plan immediately, a fact which he found inordinately pleasing. She was a magnificent partner in crime. When he couldn't be at the Dojo, Misao was chasing Kaoru around with a measuring tape and covertly taking her proportions. What he didn't know about a Lady's Art she'd had hammered into her by her mother and forced Kaoru to learn.

By the time Monday rolled around Kaoru's gown was on order with the seamstress and Kaoru could waltz, make credible small talk, and flirt with that ridiculous little fan that western women affected. She did it under protest and with deliberately clumsy movements, but rather than appear sullen she came off as artless. Practicing Kenjutsu had given Kaoru the natural grace and poise that she needed and no amount of blunt comments or dropped fans could cover it up.

The invitation wasn't hard to obtain either. Aoshi had Hanya swipe Kenshin's and had it forged within half an hour. Misao once again proved her worth by using her contacts to arrange for a carriage to arrive at the Dojo after Yumi left and a room for the gown and accessories to be stored until Wednesday.

Tuesday was lost to Yumi and Shura's preparations. Kaoru's time was consumed by setting curls, mending corsets, and taking over the final alterations necessary for their costumes.

Shura was attending the Masquerade as Diana from Greek legend. Her dress was a soft confection of dove-gray silk limned in silver braid. She carried a small ornamental bow and her mask was made up to resemble a full moon. Yumi on the other hand chose to drawn on Japanese myth and dressed as Izanami, the Shinto Ruler of the Underworld. Kaoru felt that to be rather appropriate since in her less savory aspect the former Creator-Goddess was Queen of Worms and the Dead. To this end Yumi comissioned a full set of ornate white kimono with six layers of overgowns that shaded from velevety black to pale purple. She wore a plain half mask of molded leather which she'd had dyed black and studded with garnets.

Wednesday dawned pale and cold. Kaoru tried hard not to think about the night to come as she ran back and forth fetching and carrying whatever Yumi needed or thought she needed. The two women went through a ridiculous amount of bath water, powders, cream, and lotions for one short event. The day seemed to melt through her fingers and as the sun began to set she found herself pulling corset strings with a winch and arranging layers like they were about to be presented to the Emporer.

Kaoru and Yahiko were half-dead on their feet and pathetically releived to see the carriage arrive to carry off their erstwhile mistresses.

The respite was short lived however. No sooner did the carriage vanish into the distance, but then Shinomori appeared through the back door to cast his counterspell and usher Kaoru down the street to his little room where Misao had just finished chalking a convoluted cirle filled with arcane designs onto the floor.

Kaoru balked at the sight of it. "What is that?" she asked knowing that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"The spell I've been using before now requires physical contact for me to maintain it. I will hardly be able to hold your hand all the way to the Ball, all while you're there, and all the way back. That design is a Greater Circle of Protection. It will be able to negate the Geas's demands on you for a few hours. This one will last until the twelfth stroke of midnight. Now," he guided a reluctant Kaoru over the design and released her into the center.

Immediately the compulsion clamped down on her and propelled her in the direction of the door, but Aoshi spoke a Word that rolled and echoed like thunder through the small room. The white marks on the floor blazed to life with dazzling brilliance. Kaoru felt herself engulfed by the spell and it burned through the oily film of Yumi's will leaving her free to draw the first clean breath she'd taken in years.

"You may leave the Circle now, Kaoru-san." Aoshi said with a touch of weariness in his voice. Misao was there instantly with a discreet hand at his elbow and steered him towards the chair by his table.

"I'll take it from here, Aoshi-sama. You get get yourself ready, I'll have Kaoru in the carriage when it arrives." She told him quietly. "Catch your breath. Hanya said he'll come for you when it's time."

Aoshi cocked an eyebrow at her, obviously wondering when she'd gotten so chummy with his men. Misao grinned and winked. Kaoru watched them both and wondered when they'd gotten so close.

When Misao hauled Kaoru back down the street to the Dojo she asked her younger sister about it. Misao immediately blushed and began to stammer.

"Well… he and I, we… geez, Kaoru-nee, do I have to spell it out?" She pressed her cool fingers to her cheeks to banish the heat from her face. Kaoru only laughed.

"As long as he plans to make an honest woman of my little sister then you two have my blessings." She chuckled at the expression on Misao's face. "Oh come now, Misao, don't tell me marrying Aoshi-san would be that horrible of a fate?"

Misao's blush returned in full force. "It's not that I wouldn't mind… it's just that I got a mental image of the way he'd probably propose. He lets things build up inside a lot and then just cuts loose when they get to be too much. I think I'd find myself snatched off the street, stuffed into a wedding kimono, and saying my vows before I even knew what happened."

"I understand." Kaoru sighed. "You have no idea how much I understand."

They arrived back at the Dojo then and Kaoru could see the steam billowing out of the bath house. Yahiko knelt at the back, building up the fire for the bath. She sighed as he looked up and wiped his brow with a sleeve. "Time to get started!" Yahiko sneered.

Once again Kaoru found herself tossed headfirst into a whirlwind of preparations only this time she was the object of attention. The bath had been liberally scented with jasmine bath salts and fragrant oils, none of which Kaoru recognized as coming from Yumi or Shura's toiletries… meaning someone went out and bought them special. Misao dunked her in the bath and cheerfully scrubbed her raw despite Kaoru's strident protests.

Although the allure of the experience was somewhat mitigated by Misao's participation, the bath revived Kaoru's spirits considerably. She emerged feeling cleaner, softer, and more aromatic than she had in years. It almost made the upcoming event worth it all.

From there Kaoru was ushered into Misao's bedroom where she was stuffed into a set of European underwear and sat down in front of a mirror while Misao fussed with her hair.

Kaoru shivered in her chemise as her younger sister combed, pinned, and knotted her shiny black locks into an elaborate coif. There weren't any curls, there was no time to heat the irons and slick down her hair with pomade. Instead Misao opted for an older, more elegant style that emphasized the healthy sheen in Kaoru's blue-black hair. Make-up followed and once again Misao used a sparing hand, using only enough power and rough to emphasize Kaoru's natural looks rather than creating a painted mask.

When she was finally allowed to look, Kaoru hardly recognized the woman in the mirror. Certainly that refined and confident person couldn't be Yumi's overworked and unpaid servant. Kaoru's lips weren't that full and her eyes, they looked huge in the mirror. Misao had used a bit of kohl around the edges of her eyelids to make her lashes look full and thick. The woman Kaoru saw in the mirror was without a doubt breath-taking.

"That's not me…" Kaoru breathed. "It can't be."

"You'd better believe that's you, Kaoru-nee." Misao grinned and patted a last few stray hair back into place. "Himura is going to drop dead from shock when he sees you."

"I don't think he'll recognize me." Kaoru sat up as she heard footsteps on the veranda. A soft knock at the door announced the arrival of once of Aoshi's ninjas.

"That'll be Hanya with your costume. Wait here. He won't come in while you're undressed." Misao hopped to her feet and left the room. She re-entered a few seconds later with a huge cloth garment bag. "He helped me pick it out. You're going as Benten!"

Kaoru blinked. "As in the eight armed goddess of water? The one who slew that dragon?"

Misao blushed. "Well, we took some liberties with the design, but the party is full of gaijin anyway. They won't recognize her anyway."

Out of the bag the dress resembled nothing so much as a giant ball of fluffy ruffles. Kaoru didn't get long to look however since Misao had the thing over her head and was wrestling her arms and head into the proper areas. Once on it buttoned neatly up the back without the irritation of lacing up a corset.

Indeed, Misao had taken a great many liberties with the design, but the end result was lovely. The gown was deepest blue with a white dragon wrapped around her body with the tail somewhere near her ankles and the head resting on her shoulder. The texture of the skirt suggested waves and a series of tiny silver mirrors had been stitched along the spine of the dragon. The costume was completed by a white mask edged in chips of mirrors and a little lute she could carry in her arms.

The neckline of the dress bothered Kaoru a little. She was sure it was modest by western standards, but she was used to being covered from the neck down. The cut of the gown revealed the first gentle swell of her breasts and the unfamiliar feeling of air on her chest made Kaoru shiver.

Misao quickly repaired the damage to Kaoru's hair and make-up and then ushered her out the door. They paused at the front door to get Kaoru into a dainty set of silver buckled shoes and then Misao whisked her out to the awaiting carriage.

Aoshi waited there and the sight of him stopped both women dead in their tracks. He was decked out full military uniform with braid and medals dripping from his chest and shoulders. Moreover he wore those tailored pants _well_. Kaoru noted the high color on her sister's cheeks and deliberately turned away to give them a moment alone.

She was handed into the coach by a ninja who had more muscles per square inch of his than most people had in their entire bodies. She sat down and by the time she'd settled her skirts Aoshi was boarding beside her. When Kaoru took a quick peek out the window to wave good-bye to Misao, she saw her little sister standing in the street with a dazed expression and kiss-swollen lips.

Kaoru glanced at Aoshi, who had a suspiciously neutral expression on his face. "You do realize that if you break her heart that I will be forced to compensate by breaking every bone in your body." she said softly.

"That depends entirely upon whether or not my Oniwabanshuu get to me first." For the first time Kaoru detected a not of exasperation in Aoshi's usually dead pan voice. "Not even a week they've worked together and already she has them wrapped around her littlest finger."

Kaoru chuckled. "She's always been like that, but you're the first boy… er, well, man she's ever been involved with. Be gentle or die."

Aoshi's only reply was a nod.

* * *

End Chapter Six

* * *

_Seiyuu_


	8. Exposure

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal web page, Shattered Theories.

Chapter Seven: Revelation

The carriage ride was shorter than Kaoru expected it to be. Or maybe it was just her nerves that made time go faster. Kaoru would have thought that time might have slowed down, but in fact it seemed like they pulled up in front of the Embassy before she had time to blink.

Kaoru hadn't laid eyes on the English Embassy since her father had walked her past it once when she was six. Her memory had not done it justice, especially with the way it was lit as bright as noon and glowed in the night like a beacon through a hundred windows.

Aoshi disembarked first and handed Kaoru down. She clutched her little lute like it was a life-line as he led her up the gravel walk. The faint strains of an orchestra drifted through the air to Kaoru's ears. Misao's lessons came back in force and she tentatively laid a hand on Aoshi's elbow as they ascended the steps up to the front doors. A butler in a smart black and white suit met them at the door and accepted Aoshi's counterfeit invitations. From there it was a straight shot into the Ballroom.

Light and color crashed over Kaoru like a wave and Aoshi had to pull her along for a few steps as she fought not to gape at the swirling people. There were costumes of every conceivable color, shade, and texture. Most of the floor was taken up by dancers while a sumptuous side board had been laid out with finger foods of all shapes and kinds.

"Do you see him?" Aoshi's cool voice jarred Kaoru back into reality and reminded her that tonight wasn't a pleasure jaunt.

Kaoru pursed her lips and scanned their immediate vicinity for any glimpse of a long mane of red hair and a devil-may-care grin. All she saw were swishing skirts in bright jewel tones and laughing faces. "No." she reported in frustration.

She was too short. That was the problem. She wouldn't be able to see him until he was right in front of her and in this room that might never happen. "You're taller than me. Can you see him?" Kaoru asked Aoshi who nodded curtly and looked over the heads of the assembled crowds.

"He's there in the shadows by the gardens." Aoshi gestured towards the back of the room. "Go to him. I will take care of my own duties."

"But…!" Kaoru turned to protest, but the man had already vanished into the crowd. "Mou! I'm going to get you for that, Shinomori! Abandon me will you?" Kaoru gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down. Losing her temper would only get her into trouble so she took deep calming breaths until the last vestiges of red left her vision.

Careful to avoid the dancers, Kaoru circled around the dance floor and passed behind the wall of human bodies by the sideboard. She was tempted to stop and take a closer look, maybe even a taste of the delicacies there, but she didn't have the time nor did she know what half of them were. Kaoru had heard plenty of tales about the strange things foreigners considered food and she didn't want explore their cuisine without a guide.

There was no telling where Yumi was, but Kaoru had a hunch that when she found Kenshin she'd find Yumi as well. Through the crowd she could just barely glimpse a series of glass doors, which she assumed led to the garden. Unfortunately the dance floor was between her and that side of the room. The orchestra was set up so that she couldn't circle around that way.

Kaoru stamped a foot in frustration as she glared at the dancers. She was going to have to find a way to cross without drawing attention to herself and damned if she could see a way…

"Well hello there…"

A gloved hand encircled Kaoru wrist. She found herself turned around to face a tall man with spiky brown hair. He was dressed in a loose set of white monk robes and smiled at her with warm brown eyes. "Looking for a way across?" He guessed.

Kaoru gave a curt nod. "Do you know a way?"

The man grinned. "Indeed I do. I'll show you for a dance." He wiggled his brows invitingly. "My name is Sagara Sanosuke and you, my lovely lady?"

"I'm not your lovely anything." Kaoru replied pertly. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru. Get me to the garden doors and you can have your dance." 'And you'll regret it every time I step on your toes' she vowed silently.

"Ouch, it bites!" Sanosuke's brows rose in surprise. "Did you just say your name was Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru?"

It was level of shock in his voice that was annoying her, Kaoru decided. "Do I want to know how you know my name?" she snapped irritably. "Because the time I'm wasting with you could be put to far better uses like circling around the building to get to the gardens."

"No doubt about it, you're the one." Sanosuke chuckled. "Kenshin's been climbing the walls because of you, I hope you know. Come on, let's find him. He's definitely going to want to know you're here!"

Sanosuke swept Kaoru onto the dance floor. Kaoru scowled and hurriedly matched his steps. "How do you know him?" she demanded. "And he's by the gardens. I need to talk to him immediately."

"Kenshin and I go way back. He gave me the opportunity to get where I am today and introduced me to my lovely fiancée. If you look towards the punch bowl you'll see her glaring daggers at me." Sanosuke drawled as her spun Kaoru across the dance floor.

Kaoru snuck a glance in the direction he'd indicated and saw a woman dressed as a miko with long dark hair glaring at the man leading her across the floor. A slender young man approached her from one side and a single word from that darksome beauty was enough to send him scuttling for cover. Ah, a kindred spirit.

Mercifully the tall man didn't make Kaoru share the entire dance. He got her across the floor and guided her towards the giant glass doors with a hand in the small of her back. When her eyes caught a glimpse of red hair, Kaoru's heart leapt as she spotted Kenshin cornered by Shura near a potted tree. He had a confused expression on his face and kept looking over Shura's shoulder for rescue.

Kenshin was turned out as Susanowa, the god of Storms. Kaoru had to cock a brow considering Susanowa was supposed to be the personification of evil although he was considered a brave if lawless warrior. It was ironic however that they were both dressed as water deities though. Kaoru renewed her resolution to both find Aoshi and then kick him the shin. He was behind that no doubt.

Sanosuke caught Kenshin's attention and those violet eyes lightened with relieve. He pushed past Shura to approach them with wide arms. "Sano! I didn't know you'd be here." The smallest hint of strainechoed in his voice and those expressive eyes flicked towards a fuming Shura. 'Help!' he mouthed.

The was Kaoru's cue. She stepped forward and slipped her arms around Kenshin's elbow. "You owe me, Himura." She whispered into his ear. He started gratifyingly under her hands and turned to face her.

"Do I… do I know you?" he asked slowly with the strangest expression on his face. Amber light flickered behind his dark blue mask.

Kaoru grinned. "After the way we parted last Saturday one would think you'd remember me a little better." She teased lightly. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Something flashed in Kenshin's eyes and suddenly her mask was gone. Kaoru was vaguely aware of Shura's gasp of shock before Kenshin's mouth crashed down on hers. Kaoru whimpered as coherent thought fled her mind and Kenshin's hand cupped the back of her neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" A decidedly chill baritone sounded from somewhere behind Kaoru. Kenshin reluctantly released her mouth and let his gloved hands rest possessively on her arms as she fumbled her mask back on.

"Yamagata-san." Kenshin acknowledged in a chilly tone Kaoru had never heard from him before. She risked a glance over her shoulder and found a tall man in full military dress sporting a magnificent handlebar mustache standing a short distance away. His mouth was pulled in a line of disapproval, but when her eyes met his they twinkled with suppressed amusement.

"May I speak with you for a moment, Himura?" Yamagata asked politely. "If your young lady does not mind."

"I don't mind." Kaoru said quickly earning a glare from Kenshin.

"Make it quick." He growled at Yamagata who nodded and led him off at a distance.

Sanosuke patted Kaoru's shoulder comfortingly. "He'll be right back, Missy. Here, I'll wait with you."

Kaoru didn't want to say, but Sanosuke's presence, while unfamiliar was still comforting. With a sickening stomach, Kaoru watched Shura scurry across the floor to where her mother waited in the shadows by the Orchestra. Yumi's venomous glare pierced her all the way across the floor, but whatever she tried Aoshi's spell must have warded off.

Dancers swirled between them and when the view cleared once more, Yumi and her daughter were gone. Kaoru couldn't feel reassured. Now they knew where she was and sooner or later she was going to have to go home.

Yumi would be waiting.

Kenshin reappeared at Kaoru's elbow an indeterminate amount of time later. Sanosuke had long since drifted off in the direction of the punch bowl to make amends with his fiancée. He nudged her towards the doors and Kaoru gratefully followed him out of the overheated Ballroom and into the cold gardens.

The gardens had to be gorgeous in the summer when the rose bushes were in bloom and the trees were modestly cloaked in their green leaves. In the winter however, skeletal bushed clawed their way out of the dirt and the bare trees rakes the sky with spindly fingers. Kaoru suppressed a shiver that had little to do with the temperature and Kenshin led her into the dark confines of a hedge maze.

The maze was one of the few things that were still green so late in the year. Kenshin navigated the shadowy twists and bends with the air of one on his home turf. Soon they came to a little grotto in the center that had been lit with torches. Kaoru realized with some surprise that Kenshin had taken advantage of his time away. A thick blanket had been spread on the ground and a covered basket lay nearby.

When she turned to speak to him, Kenshin stopped her mouth with a finger over her lips. "Wait a moment, _Koishii_. I'm going to make sure we aren't disturbed. Stay here, you'll like this…"

He crossed over to gap in the hedges they'd just passed through. Placing both hands on the edges of the hedge he intoned a Word like the one Aoshi had used to seal the Circle of Protection that sealed Kaoru in from the Geas. Kenshin's word didn't have the power or depth of Aoshi's, but there was an echo that built up from the ground and rippled through the plant maze. The Word woke something deep in the maze and Kaoru gasped as she saw the passage between Kenshin's hands shimmer and vanish to be replaced with a blank wall of vegetation.

Kenshin grinned as he turned back to her. "That's the thing most people forget about mazes. They're meant to hide things and confuse those trying to find them. A little magic and neither spell nor search party can penetrate this place." He approached Kaoru with a predatory expression. "We won't be disturbed here. Now… what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Kaoru took a step back and eyed him warily. "My stepmother is trying to kill you." Kenshin's steps falter and he frowned. Sensing that she had his attention, Kaoru pressed on. "That woman who had you cornered is my stepsister, Shura. Yumi, that's my stepmother's name, she was using Shura to cast a compulsion on you…"

A frown pulled at the edges of Kenshin mouth and he came to stand directly in front of Kaoru. "This Yumi, is she the one who made you into a spell-slave?" he asked quietly.

"That doesn't matter," Kaoru snapped. "The point is that your life is in danger…" She didn't get much further as her erstwhile lover decided he'd had enough conversation for the moment. It wasn't that she didn't like the kiss. Oh no, it was one of the best she'd had so far; slow, hot, and thorough. Still, she was being diverted and knew it.

"_Himura_!" She growled angrily against his mouth making him chuckle. "I'm being serious you big oaf! I took a _huge_ risk coming here tonight! At least try to take this seriously?"

"I am taking this seriously, _Koishii_." Kenshin corrected. "However, we are completely sealed off at the moment. _Nothing_ is getting through that maze. Especially not some third rate witch trying to use an attraction charm to snare me." He chuckled at the expression on Kaoru's face. "She was hardly being subtle about it, my love." He brushed another kiss across her mouth, pausing to nibble on her lower lip. "I'll assume your stepsister was behind that clumsy spell. Your stepmother is responsible for the geas on you?"

He wasn't going to drop the subject. "Yes." Kaoru sighed and dropped her head onto Kenshin's shoulder as the combined stress of the day and evening's events came over her. "Aoshi-san is taking care of Yumi in the Ballroom. My job was to keep you out of trouble." Suddenly she had the insane urge to hold him.

Kenshin made a highly gratifying noise as Kaoru pressed herself into his arms and held him tight. "I was worried about you, you fool." She sighed with pleasure as Kenshin's arms encircled her to hold her just a tightly as she was holding him. "Are you always going to be this much trouble?"

"I try not to be, but you've worried me every bit as much." Kenshin mumbled into her hair. "It's over now, Koi, I can protect you from now on." Kaoru winced at the blatant un-truth, but didn't correct him. Yumi had years of experience with vanishing into the darkness. Aoshi wasn't going to stop her no matter what he thought. Death awaited her at midnight, but Kaoru was going to snatch what few moments with Kenshin that she could.

He took a step back and Kaoru blushed as he raked her body with his hot eyes. "I do like that dress, Kaoru." He purred as her circled around her to examine her from every angle. "I didn't think it was possibly for you to get any lovelier." He stopped back in front of her and stood intimately close. "You're beautiful."

Kaoru swallowed hard as he took her back into his arms. It defied all logic and reason, the things he could do to her and all of a sudden she wanted to explore the limits of what they had. This time he wasn't the one to initiate the kiss. Kaoru went up on her toes and caught his mouth with hers. His hair felt like blood-warm silk as she plunger her hands into it and pulled out the tie. His response was instant. Kenshin crushed her to his chest and cupped her bottom in one hand. The combs holding her hair in its elaborate coif came tumbling out as he fisted his other hand in her hair trapping her in a soul searing battle of tongues and bodies.

He felt so good in her arms, so right. The lean hard line of his torso might as well have been custom fitted to her. Kaoru let her hands roam in the way she'd only dreamed about since their last encounter. This time however she wasn't going to let him stop.

"Make love to me." She whispered when they finally surfaced for air.

Kenshin's eyes were exactly the same shade as molten gold. He wanted to. She could see it in the way his adams apple bobbed and in the leap of his pulse. "We aren't wed, Koishii." He croaked hoarsely. "I want you. I want you so badly you can't even begin to understand, but I… I want it to be real between us. I want you to trust me and I want to be worthy of that trust. After our vows, love, let me do that for you."

His words made something in Kaoru's chest hurt. 'Where were you eight years ago?' she wanted to ask. 'Where were you when I still believed in Prince Charming and Happily Ever After?' She didn't question herself when she pulled some of the ribbons out of the sleeve of her dress. This is what she wanted, even if she wasn't counting the rest of her life in hours. This is what she wanted for always.

Kenshin was so very still as she took his hand in hers and wrapped the blue and white ribbons around their joined arms. He gulped when she tied them off in a loose marriage knot. "I belong to you now." She whispered. "Forever until death divides us, I'll love you and keep you. You say you want my trust then accept it now, here where there are no witnesses but ourselves. Make your vows and keep them and you'll have me for as long as I live."

"I…" For the first time since she'd met him, Kenshin was speechless. His eyes flickered between amber and violet so quickly that she couldn't tell which color they were. "I love you, Kaoru. I will always love you and… if this is what you want then I will love you until the day I die." He drew her close and caught her mouth in an achingly sweet kiss. "I belong to you as well. From now into eternity I will belong to you and no other. Everything I have and everything I am is yours to do with as you will."

… and the most frightening thing was that he meant every word of it. Kaoru couldn't say how she knew, but his words echoed inside her like the Word he used to seal the Maze.

Kenshin fumbled with the buttons on the back of her gown, but Kaoru paid it little mind. She was more concerned with the knots in his belt. The first few layers of his costume were easily pushed aside. The closer she got to skin however the more stubborn the fastenings proved.

Poor Kenshin, by the time Kaoru had him bared to the waist he had undone maybe half of the tiny pearl buttons. He was snarling with frustration and Kaoru was amazing that he hadn't just torn the delicate fabric instead.

Of course, Kaoru didn't make things easy on him. While his hands were occupied she made a leisurely exploration of his chest and stomach. She'd seen plenty of shirtless men in her time, but none had his fighter's physique even after ten years of retirement. He felt hard, smooth, and very male. A fine shiver chased across his skin as she brushed her lips over his nipple.

Kenshin growled in aggravation as he struggled with the buttons. Kaoru had turned her attentions to a wonderfully sensitive spot in the hollow of his throat. The last button came free and her gown was instantly around her ankles. Kaoru sighed with pleasure as her love lifted her out of the pool of ruffles and lace. Her cradled her against his chest and carried her to the blanket where he laid her down with all the care due the Crown Jewels.

The chemise followed her gown and Kaoru was bare to the elements for about as long as it took Kenshin to kick off his hakama and cover her with his body. Kaoru melted underneath him.

Short panting moans forked their way out of Kaoru's throat as fingers probed her core so much faster and more forcefully than before. This time he did something different. As Kenshin worked her insides with his index finger he brought his thumb around to rub circles around her clitoris. Kaoru's eyes snapped open and she cried out when the first shock echoed through her body.

"Like that, did you?" Kaoru glared at Kenshin's smug expression, but lost it when he kept up the massage.

She was quaking in his arms when something wonderfully more substantial that fingers pressed up against her opening. Kaoru whimpered and arched up against him wordlessly begging for it. Kenshin sank into her with a blissful groan. The sensation wasn't nearly what she expected.

"Shh… I know it hurts, sweetheart, wait with me for a moment. It'll fade and then you'll feel good." Kenshin pressed kisses all over Kaoru's face and mouth. She clung to his as she adjusted to the girth of him inside her. It wasn't painful per-se, but being filled so quickly had been a shock.

Eventually her insides stretched to accommodate him and some of that desire trickled back into her veins. Kaoru pressed up against him once more in a little experiment to see if moving would bring more pain. It didn't, instead a warm sort of pleasure rippled through her belly and Kenshin made a strangled sound.

"K-koi!" He panted. "Hold still, darling, I-I can't control myself if you keep moving like… oh gods…"

"Who asked you to?" Kaoru nipped his earlobe and crossed her calves comfortably across his firm round buttocks and squeezed to push him deeper inside her body. She let her head fall back and sighed in satisfaction as that warm sensation intensified.

A tremor shook Kenshin's entire body and Kaoru felt one of his hands close around the back of her neck and she found her face lifted so that she could see his blazing golden eyes. "Tell me you want it." He commanded. "Tell me what you want me to do to you."

"I want it." Kaoru replied faithfully. "I want you do to everything to me. Show me how."

For the third time that night Kenshin claimed her mouth, but this time he claimed the rest of her along with it. She found her hands pinned between their bodies and the hand Kenshin wasn't using to support his weight tangled back into Kaoru's hair so that even when the kiss ended she could retreat more than a few inches from his mouth. He plunged into her, sheathing and re-sheathing his member in her slick passage. That warmth Kaoru had felt with the first penetration intensified until she felt like an exploding star had taken up residence in her womb.

Kaoru whimpered and begged incoherently as Kenshin gave her exactly what she'd asked for. She was vaguely aware of his grunts and sighs as he fought to remain in control. As for Kaoru, she willingly surrendered herself to madness and writhed in ecstasy beneath his weight.

Something wonderful was brewing in the core of her stomach. Kaoru cried out as heat pooled in her center and exploded in a burst of white light behind her eyelids. A second later Kenshin stiffened in her arms and a second rush of heat passed through her as he found his own climax.

Kenshin collapsed beside her with an exhausted grunt and pulled her into his arms. Kaoru murmured in sleepy contentment as he hauled the quilt up to cover them and seal in the heat generated by their lovemaking.

Kaoru settled into her beloved arms and let her head rest on his chest. "So that's what it's all about." She giggled. "I think I could get used to that."

"You'd better get used to it, my beautiful wife." Kenshin grinned and reached down to cup her bottom again. "If you think I'm going to settle for having you just that once you've got another thing coming." He snuck a kiss before Kaoru could protest. "I know, Love. You're sore right now. No more tonight, but you're coming home with me." His grin turned wistful. "I want to show you my… _our_ home. I have a small town house and an estate outside the city."

Kaoru felt something clench in her chest and she hid her face against his chest so that he wouldn't see the tears prickling her eyes. "Tell me about our home, Kenshin. Tell me everything…" She licked her lips and held onto him a bit tighter. This was as close as she was ever going to get to a fairy-tale ending.

"Well, mostly I stay in town. The staff in the townhouse is more accustomed to me, but it's small there. Only two bedrooms, one on each floor, I'd hardly want to try and raise any children there when the time comes. The estate is closed up right now, but if we decide to move out there I think we could hire on a new staff for the town house or maybe just a housekeeper and move the current staff with us…" Kenshin's voice formed a soothing cocoon around Kaoru and she basked in his arms listening to him speak of a brilliant future that she'd have given anything to be a part of.

"What about your family?" The question surprised her. Kaoru had almost dozed off listening to the comforting drone of Kenshin's voice echoing through his chest. "You said that bitch… pardon my language, was your stepmother. Don't you have any other family?"

"Misao… she's my other stepsister, but she was never like Shura." Kaoru admitted slowly, reluctant to share. However she didn't want to hide anything from him, it was just that she'd never had anyone to tell before. "She was too young to interest Yumi when she came to live with us so I ended up raising her. She's sixteen now and just starting to build a life for herself," Kaoru paused to laugh "A life that seems to include your Aoshi-san."

"Aoshi?" Kenshin blinked. "Aoshi involved with someone? Well, the world is ending. All the great bachelors are falling. Next thing I know, Saitou will be at the altar." he laid back and looked up at the sky. "Well, it was going to happen eventually. I can only hope the next generation of bachelors will do as well as we did."

Kaoru pursed her lips. Now was just as good a time as any. He obviously wasn't going to confess. "Is that so, _Battousai_?" she murmured sarcastically.

Kenshin stiffened beneath her. "Who told you?" his voice was curiously flat.

"You didn't think _Komagata Yumi_, my evil mage of a step mother was planning to kill you just because you happened to be handy did you?" Kaoru propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at his studiously blank expression. "I especially liked the part where she described you as an 'Ishin Shishi' milksop."

"You..." Kenshin stalled as he searched for his voice. "You don't seem bothered by the fact that I was one of the most deadly assassins known to history thus far. We'll discuss that milksop comment later, but aren't you being awfully calm?"

Kaoru sighed. "I just married you, twit, and I've had a while to think this over. You had your reasons and this country would be a very different place if it hadn't been for you and people like you. I like Japan, but I know the price our comfort came at. You're still the insufferable idiot who knocked me down in the market and then proceeded to stalk me all over Tokyo. That I'm more annoyed about. Why are staring at me?"

"I'm trying to decide if you're real or if I just hit my head when I fell on you and this has all been some kind of hallucination." A hesitant smile touched his mouth and he pulled her up his chest for a hungry kiss. "I love you."

No, he just couldn't make it easy... Kaoru murmured something appropriate against his mouth and did her best to be appreciative. As her husband occupied himself by nibbling on her collarbone, Kaoru's stomach chose that moment to remind her that she hadn't eaten at all that day.

"Hungry, Koi?" Kenshin's eyes danced with merriment as he reached for the basket that had been left with the blanket.

"It's been a busy day..." Kaoru demurred. What with running after Shura and Yumi, then with her own preparations and mounting nervousness... well, food hadn't really been her top priority. Perhaps she should have snuck something while Aoshi had the geas off her...

"Then it's a good thing I planned ahead." Kenshin's grin took a turn for the wicked. "Actually, there has been something I've been meaning to ask you, but every time I see you we get... distracted." He rummaged about in the basket and came up with an orange. Kaoru accepted the fruit cautiously. Something in his eyes made her wary of his next question.

"Those oranges... you remember the ones I got to replace the ones that got smashed? Tell me, were they any good?" his voice was deliberately nonchalant.

"Hmm?" Kaoru shrugged. "I wouldn't know. They weren't for me. Yumi's geas keeps me from eating anything that isn't turnips, radishes, and rice." It had always been difficult to sneak back her 'after supper treat' into the dish when Yahiko had gone to so much trouble to steal it.

A muscle leapt in Kenshin's cheek, but he visibly schooled his face into a pleasant mask. "Well, go ahead and eat. I think there are some sandwiches in here too." He poked at the contents of the basket. "Ah… smoked salmon!"

Kaoru chuckled ruefully as Kenshin… her husband produced some odd little European concoctions and began pointing out their contents. She smiled as he caught her staring and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "We're going to do this right later on." He promised her quietly. "Friends, family, and every social butterfly for miles around; I want the whole world to know you're mine."

"You know who I belong to and that's all that matters." Kaoru said softly, unwilling to contemplate a future that would never come.

This was as much happiness as she could safely contemplate.

Too bad it had to end…

End Chapter Six

_Seiyuu: All right! All right! I know! Don't say it, I already know. It's been a while. Don't attack me! In fact everyone go worship and Ravyn and JaneDrew's feet this instant. After the Fatal Error to end all Fatal Errors, they managed to patch The Geas back together from their back up copies. Worship with me, now!_

… _and don't kill me. More chapters on the way! Promise!_


	9. Culmination

Title: **The Geas**

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal web page, Shattered Theories.

Chapter Eight: Culmination

Kenshin was very beautiful when he was asleep. Kaoru had been quietly watching him ever since he'd dozed off after their makeshift supper. For the first time in years she was warm, well fed, and utterly at peace, but as the minutes ticked by Kaoru felt the protections Aoshi had carefully placed about her begin to crumble.

Oddly enough it didn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would to stand up and leave her husband. It still hurt, but somewhere deep inside she knew she'd taken as much as she deserved from him. Most people didn't even find this much love in their entire lives, but just this one night had been enough to make up for eight years of neglect. She'd heard people talk about being able to 'die happy', but she hadn't understood until now what they'd meant.

She could go to her death in peace feeling complete and her only regret would be that she never got to tell him to his face what he'd done for her.

Kaoru dressed quickly in the underclothes she'd worn beneath her gown. There was no chance in hell that she was going to wriggle back into that monster of silk and lace. Instead she made silent apologies as she took the inner coat from Kenshin's costume and wrapped it around herself. Instantly his scent surrounded her and made her heart pang.

With tears prickling her eyes, Kaoru knelt by Kenshin's peacefully slumbering form and gently tucked the blankets in around him. Then she pressed one last kiss against his lips and whispered the one thing she'd been longing to tell him all night.

"I love you, Kenshin." She swallowed on a lump in her throat. "Good-bye!"

She turned then and ran through the barrier Kenshin had made of the Hedge Maze. She didn't see her husband's eyes snap open nor did she see him roll to his feet and lunge for his pants.

'I should have seen it coming,' Kenshin snarled to himself as he struggled into his clothing as quickly as humanly possible. The lovemaking, the little marriage, the way she'd been committing every last detail to memory; only a dying woman would have done that.

'…and stupid me, I mistook it for love…'

Kenshin barreled out of the Hedge Maze in full Hitokiri mode. He could see the marks of her passage on the windswept streets. He'd tracked killers three times her skill through rain and stone. Kaoru had given herself to him and she was going to learn just whom she belonged to now.

The Battousai didn't give up what rightfully belonged to him.

Kaoru raced through the dark streets of Tokyo as through the devil himself tread on her heels. She took every shortcut she knew to reach the Dojo before the stroke of Midnight. As far as she knew Aoshi was still at the Masquerade and Misao would have left to check on her people as soon as the carriage had left.

That meant there'd be no witnesses.

'Quick and easy is the best I can hope for.' Kaoru reasoned to herself. Hopefully Yumi was mad enough that she'd just make Kaoru's heart stop or smite her on the spot. At worst she was looking at a half hour of whatever she could come up with. Any longer and she'd risk discovery.

The run kept her blood pumping through her system and warded off a bit of the night's chill. Kaoru held Kenshin's jacket tightly around her chest. If she pretended hard enough it felt like his arms were still around her. She didn't dare stop to try and catch another whiff of his scent, although her heart wanted nothing more than to turn around and go back to him. However she'd made her bed and now she was going to die in it.

Yumi had arrived home long before she had. Kaoru stepped in the gates of her ancestral home for the last time. Every light in the Dojo was on and Yumi was standing in the front door flanked by two large men waiting for her.

"Well, my traitorous child returns." Yumi said coldly as Kaoru approached her. "You've done a fair piece of work tonight, but even with your little allies you have to come skulking home."

Kaoru listened numbly and didn't dignify Yumi's bile with a reply. 'Get it over with' she wanted to say. 'Do it before Kenshin follows me and does something foolish.'

"Enough. I've done with you." Yumi spoke a word. It rippled and flowed the way Kenshin and Aoshi's had, but there was something different about it. The power the Word called was scummy and clung to Kaoru's skin like fish slime. However the effect was enough to knock her to her knees.

She'd felt the Geas ease off enough in the past few days to recognize what Yumi had done. The geas blew away on the wind of magic and tore apart like cobwebs. For the first time in nearly ten years Kaoru was completely free. She looked up at Yumi in shock ready to ask 'why?' only to see the two men converging upon her.

As their grubby hands closed on her arms she heard Yumi call out, "She's all yours gentlemen. Make sure she's out of the country by tonight. I'm sure you collected enough of the city tramps to make a decent shipment."

"Aye, Ma'am. She's Chicago-bound…" One of the men grunted as he gagged Kaoru.

'Chicago?' Kaoru felt her blood turn to ice water in her veins. Misao had mentioned these men before. They were the slavers in the Harbor! She'd heard the stories of girls taken from the Orient to the Americas and forced into prostitution for little to no money. The stories usually had them dead of drugs, violence, or alcohol within the year…

Trust Yumi to come up with a fate worse than death. Kaoru whimpered as her hands and feet were roughly bound and a bag was tied over her head.

'I should have stayed in the Hedge Maze…' she thought as the men lifted her and began their journey into hell.

Yahiko bolted from his cover in the storehouse as soon as the Courtyard cleared. He'd been hiding ever since Yumi and Shura had returned home several hours ago and started packing as though their lives depended on it.

Now he realized that they probably did.

The Dojo was completely deserted. He'd heard Yumi board a carriage shortly after the Men who'd taken Kaoru with them drove their wagon off into the night. From his hiding place he hadn't been able to hear much, but what he had heard was enough.

He'd been listening right alongside Kaoru on the night when Misao had complained about the Slavers in the Harbor. Well if she'd been looking for evidence against them she had it now! Speaking of, Misao would know exactly where they were headed and she'd know how to get Kaoru away from them: time to find Weasel-girl.

Yahiko got perhaps two steps out of the dojo before a hand shot out of the darkness and twisted in his gi. He found himself lifted off his feet and held level with a pair of blazing yellow eyes framed by hot red bangs.

"I'm looking for a girl. She'd have passed by here a few minutes ago: black hair, blue eyes, gray coat." The man snarled. "Where did she go?"

"K-Kaoru?" Yahiko couldn't scrape together the presence of mind to lie. He'd seen a lot of dangerous men in his days on the streets, but this one blew them all out of the water. "The slavers took her. I need to find Misao. She knows where they're going…" he babbled.

If anything those eyes blazed even brighter. "Where do I find this Misao?" The man bit the words off so hard Yahiko felt like they would be bleeding.

"Yahiko?" Misao's voice echoed through the street behind him. "Hey, let him down you bastard!"

"Himura?" Shinomori's voice followed Misao's so closely that it might as well have been a masculine echo of hers.

Yahiko struggled in the man's grip and was immediately dropped. He caught himself and threw himself in Misao's direction. "Misao, Yumi sold Kaoru to the slavers in the harbor!"

Misao and Shinomori were standing by a carriage, having obviously just arrived just after the nick of time. The red haired man pushed past him and they followed without question as he boarded the carriage.

"You know where they're taking her?" he growled at Misao who nodded firmly. "Then direct the driver."

Yahiko found himself tossed onto the smooth leather seats a few seconds before Shinomori slid in beside him. The red haired man… Himura, by all accounts, settled restlessly across from him. The carriage took off with a lurch and soon they were flying down the streets as fast as two horses could bear them.

Yahiko watched Himura in silence. This was the man who'd been romancing Kaoru? Yumi had called him Battousai and after seeing him Yahiko could believe it. The man's eyes burned like hell-fire and tension sang in every line of his body. A sheathed sword was braced against his shoulder and Yahiko had no doubts that he was very well versed in its use.

What in hell had Kaoru brought home?

Kaoru knew they'd arrived in the Harbor by the scent in the air. She was still bundled up like a bag of potatoes, but her other senses were working just fine. She was sporting several bumps and bruises from her rough handling and unless she did something quick she was looking to acquire more than a few more before the night was over.

'If worst comes to worst, at least I lost my virginity where I wanted it.' She thought acerbically.

Seriously though, there wasn't an evil spell binding her anymore. If one of Yumi's goons was dumb enough to unbind her then she was going to be gone so fast there'd be a void left in the air by her wake.

She'd been prepared to go to her death quietly, but now all bets were off.

The ropes binding her were securely tied, but Kaoru hadn't been living with a pickpocket and an aspiring ninja for nothing. She'd already gotten the bindings on her wrists loose and when she felt like she had a chance the ones on her legs were going to be gone along with them.

Kaoru bit back a shriek of indignity as a calloused hand brusquely fondled her chest. A second hand probed the folds of her skirt, but the wagon clattered to a halt then and the hands retreated. Voices shouted back and forth in languages she couldn't comprehend, but when the same hands from before hefted her over a broad shoulder and knowing chuckles came from all around, she knew what came next.

'Not if I get any say in it, bastard!' Kaoru seethed and struggled as much as she dared, but without being able to see it was sort of a losing battle. Sea spray slapped against her skin and she knew they were boarding a ship when the world bounced a bit, like her human transport was walking up a gangplank.

Whistles and catcalls she couldn't understand sprang up from all directions, but the faded quickly. The spray cut off suddenly and she heard the distinct sound of a door closing. Next thing she knew she'd been tossed into a yielding surface and the man was pawing at her clothes again.

The bag came free and Kaoru glanced around to confirm her surroundings. She was in what appeared to be the main cabin of a typical schooner. The man who'd brought her there caught her by the chin and jerked her around to face him. He had that weathered look that all sailors got when sea, wind, and sand have eroded their features like driftwood. He had a thick bristling beard that did nothing to disguise the leering grin behind it.

"Well, aren't you a pretty-pretty?" he cooed in a voice that made Kaoru want to vomit. "Do you know where you're going, pretty? You're going to America, the Land of the Free! Wasn't it kind of your stepmother to pay for your passage? There's work there for a strong girl like you and for a little…" there he paused to caress her cheek, "consideration I'll be sure to put you in for a good job when we arrive. What do you say?"

Kaoru did her best to look cowed. "R-really? What would I be doing in America?" She put on her best 'stupid Japanese girl' accent while she worried at her bonds. 'Keep talking you smelly gaijin.' She told him silently. 'Give me time to get loose!'

"Oh, there's all kinds of work: a smart girl like you could get a good position as a maid in a big house hold or as a waitress out west where the cowboys tip with gold nuggets! I bet a pretty girl like you would have no trouble attracting the eye of some rich American. You know they're all millionaires over there. So what do you say…"

Her hands were free! Kaoru smiled sweetly and the ugly foreigner took it as agreement right up into the moment her slender white hand connected with his jaw. The man dropped with surprising ease, but then Kaoru knew how to lay a man out with minimal effort. She briskly untied her ankles and peeked through one of the portholes in the front of the cabin to assess her chances of escape.

Not good…

The deck was fairly bristling with cutthroat vermin. Kaoru cast a leery eye at the black water lapping against the side of the boat. It was insanely cold in the water this time of year, but then again her chances of survival were doubled in the water than on the deck. Plus, hypothermia was such an easy death compared to being impaled or gang rape.

She had just about made up her mind to jump when the first scream sounded. A quick glance showed several shadowed forms working their way through the crew. Bodies and a fine blood flew in every direction.

"She would…" Kaoru whispered. It would be just like Yumi to take payment for her and then arrange to have her killed anyway. That was it then.

Time to jump.

The Oniwabanshuu had beaten them there. In retrospect Kenshin realized that they'd probably been hot on her trail from the second she'd disrupted the protection spell on the Hedge Maze. Hanya was a good enough mage to have felt it go down and if Yumi had escaped then they'd obviously have known to follow Kaoru back to the Dojo where the witch was holed up. Unfortunately that didn't occur to him until much later.

No, they arrived at the ship just in time to hear the slaughter begin and to see a slender white figure go over the side of the ship.

There wasn't time to think. There wasn't time to speak. The cold water hit him like a hammer and he was vaguely aware of Aoshi bellowing out a Water Elemental summons as he sliced through the frigid water with powerful strokes of his arms. Kaoru was floundering a few feet away from the dock, but she righted herself quickly and began swimming towards him.

The water leeched the strength from his limbs and Kenshin knew he wasn't going to make it to her. The water in Tokyo during July could kill in a matter of minutes. Even if they got out there was no way they'd ever get warm enough in time to survive.

So what?

All he has to do was get to her. That was all that mattered. Kaoru wasn't going to survive any more than he was. If he was going to die then he was going to do it in her arms, if only to prove her wrong. She was his and if they had to be together in the afterlife then so be it!

Two feet… one feet… almost there… Kaoru came into his arms like she'd been doing it all her life. Treading water with his legs, Kenshin cupped her face in his hands and hauled her in for the kiss he'd been waiting his entire life to give. Kaoru opened for him with a whimper and he lost track of time.

Neither of them even noticed when the water slipped over their heads and they started to sink.

"So… does he do things like this often?" Misao asked as she watched the pale sinuous forms of the kappa that Aoshi had summoned bear her step-sister and Himura out of the water. She worked quickly as she spoke, stripping off their wet clothes and bundling them in blankets retrieved from the coach.

Aoshi made a noise that in any lesser being would have been an exasperated sigh. "There is a reason the Government strongly recommended that Himura have a twenty-four hour watch in place. He is prone to… how shall I put this gracefully? Dramatics."

"I can see that." Misao murmured a feather-light charm on her sister's comatose form and lifted her off the ground. "We need to get them warm. I put a heating cantrip on the blankets, but they won't do more than buy us some time. The Dojo is too far away."

"Himura's town home is closest. I'll send a sprite ahead to warn the staff to have two hot baths waiting." Aoshi hefted his employer without the aide of a spell and placed him alongside Kaoru. "They're used to those sorts of things, living with the Battousai as they do."

"Those poor people… I hope they get paid enough for that." Misao shook her head. "I hope you get paid enough for this."

"I assure you that I don't, but that is not the issue." Aoshi handed the small ninja-ko up into the carriage and then boarded himself. Between the two of them they managed to heat the interior of the coach enough to last the ride back.

Kaoru awoke in a bedroom she didn't recognize. After a moment's panic she realized that she wasn't on the boat and moreover she was still in Japan. The room was decorated after the Western style, but she could hear cheery voices in the distance and they were speaking Japanese.

"Where am I?" She wondered out loud as she sat up. To her surprise she was dressed in a fresh white nightgown that sported a veritable fountain of frothy lace at the neck and cuffs. Her movements dislodged several hot water bottles and heated bricks… no wonder she'd felt so warm…

A shudder chased through her shoulders as she recalled the icy cold water of the bay and the last thing she remembered was Kenshin swimming out to her before the cold had drained her energy from her limbs. Her head snapped up. Was this Kenshin's home? Kaoru shoved off the comforter and blankets to swing her legs over the side of the bed. It was a little odd sleeping so far off the floor.

Her feet encountered a pair of soft blue slippers and Kaoru regarded them with shock. Shoes? In the house? She shuddered again. That was just so… unclean!

After a bit of examination, Kaoru realized the shoes weren't meant to go outside. Instead of good wood or leather soles, they had thin layers of cloth on the bottom. These were strict indoor shoes. She snorted. Only gaijin… well, maybe they were something like tabi? She recalled the stockings she had to wear to the ball. They'd been too thin to wear without shoes. These slippers were probably what westerners used to protect their uselessly fragile stockings inside.

It was too cold to go barefoot, so Kaoru slipped her feet into the silly shoes and retrieved the robe that had been laid across the foot of her bed to cover the ridiculous nightgown she'd been dressed in. Really, she'd have to get her yukata back from the Dojo if this is what people wore to bed around here…

Quiet as a whisper, Kaoru padded out of the room and into the empty hall. There was another door across from hers and a staircase at either end of the corridor. The staircase leading down was far more attractive than the one going up, which she found could be hidden behind another sliding door disguised to look like a blank wall. The other door was ajar and she peeked inside.

It was another bedroom; larger than the one she'd woken up in and the furnishings were different. Where the other room had been unisexual and decorated more with aesthetics in mind, this room was strictly masculine and designed as a living space. Somewhere in the back of her mind Kaoru made plans to explore a bit more thoroughly, but her eyes were drawn instantly to the bed.

Any doubts that she was indeed in Kenshin's home fled her mind. He was laid out on the bed, packed in with twice the heating apparatuses than she'd had, but he was still pale and unconscious.

Kaoru slipped into the room and closed the door behind her as quietly as she dared. Kenshin didn't stir as she approached. The only sign that there was any life in him at all was shallow rise and fall of his chest. His cheeks were pale and his skin felt cold when she laid her hand on his brow.

"…but you weren't in the water any longer than I was." She whispered in confusion. "Why are you still like this?"

Her jaw tensed up and with a grim kind of resolution Kaoru removed some of the heating pans from the bed before stripping out of her nightgown and robe and then crawling into bed beside her husband… where she belonged. Underneath the covers he was nude as well, letting the hot water bottles do their work without clothes to impede them. She wrapped her arms around Kenshin's neck and pressed her body close. As good as the other things were, there was really nothing better for heating up a bed than a human body.

Up close, she could smell the wonderful ginger and citrus scent around him. Once again she smelled of jasmine so she had to assume someone had bathed them both while they'd been asleep. Kenshin stirred a little in her arms and was delighted when he automatically moved to put his arms around her.

"You're going to fine, my love." She murmured into his ear. "Or I'm going to make you regret it."

Misao was grinning like a maniac.

The holding cells in the police station were small and grubby, not at all the kind of accommodations her darling mother and half-sister were accustomed to at all. She stood in front of the wood bars holding them inside and examined the eerily glowing wards painted onto the walls of the cell to suppress Yumi and Shura's natural talents.

"Comfortable in there, most honored Mother?" she asked sweetly and earned herself a glare that –if looks were blades- should have slit her throat.

"I see Kojishirou's little tramp managed to subvert you as well." Yumi spat as she drew herself up off the splintered prison bench that served her as a bed as well as a seat. Her make-up was long gone and her usually immaculate hair was limp with sweat. The police chief's interrogators had not been kind.

"There wasn't much work for her to do." Misao replied cheerily. "After all I come from a long line of liars and backstabbers. The fruit never falls far from the tree, mother –dear."

Shura as usual faded into her mother's shadow to glare malevolently at her younger sister. It had never been more apparent how estranged the girl was from independent thought. In fact, she hadn't said a word since the police (on an anonymous tip) had pulled their conveyance aside on the road and their mage had gone into a hysterical fit from the scent of blood magic reeking off Yumi. Cut off from her power source and drained from the night's exertions, Yumi hadn't been able to escape her pursuants. When a young girl had been discovered in the conveyance with them with her wrists slit and slowly dying of blood loss they'd been taken in.

She'd probably been planning to use the energy raised by the girl's death to call up a spell of protection to keep the hounds off her heels. By then she'd had to have known that Kaoru and Himura were connected and was rightly afraid for her life.

Misao had been brought in for questioning, but Aoshi had put in an appearance and their mage hadn't been able to find any traces of the dark spells on her. Now she was here to inform her iniquitous mother of her fate.

"Himura really isn't happy with you." Misao drawled and was pleased to see Yumi's face go a few shades paler. "Come to think of it, no one is really happy with you. Not only have you been polluting an uncharted Node for the past ten years and consequently messing up the earth energies for miles around, there was that little activist group you were involved in before you came here. Emperor Meiji has been looking for you for a long time. You're in a lot of trouble, Mommy-dearest."

Yumi regarded her stonily and remained silent.

Misao grinned toothily. "As it happens, you know some things that a friend of mine is interested in. He can't… or rather won't protect you from the legal consequences of your action, but he has a certain leeway in the matter of Himura and you know which one of your problems is the bigger one. Sing like a birdie and you have a chance of getting to jail alive!"

That penetrated. Yumi's gaze sharpened into something resembling the hauteur that had defined her life until now. It was disgusting, but even in a plain prison yukata Yumi still had her presence and dignity. A woman like her should have been pathetic and weeping now, but Yumi had never wept in her life. There was steel in her still and Misao realized that maybe she'd inherited a bit of her mother after all.

"What does he want?" Her voice was firm and did not waver.

"Names." Aoshi stepped into view behind Kaoru and for the first time Yumi showed signs of crumbling. "Greetings, Komagata-san. I haven't seen you since Himura killed Shishio."

"Don't you dare speak my Shishio-sama's name so familiarly!" Yumi spat. "You aren't fit to lick his boots, Shinomori! You couldn't even catch me and I am not a fraction of the warrior he was!"

"Perhaps not." Aoshi allowed. "However, you have contacts on all walks in the criminal underground of Tokyo. You'll make my life so much easier if you provide me with names and addresses. Misao has told you what I'm willing to offer in return. The decision is yours."

In the end, Yumi made the only decision she could. Misao left the police station on Aoshi's arm with a copy of the list he'd drawn up in her pocket. There wasn't a carriage this time, but she was perfectly happy to walk alongside her new… lover? Suitor? Well, whatever the hell Aoshi was she preferred his presence to any smelly horse.

"Do you think they've woken up yet?" There wasn't any question of who 'they' were. Misao had last seen Kaoru peacefully sleeping off her swimming bout in Himura's guest bedroom.

"Your sister has no doubt. She was fighting to stay awake when we pulled her from the water. Himura on the other hand…" Aoshi paused. "I believe he went into the water intending not to come out again. He fought the healing I worked on him. He will awaken eventually, but he is being stubborn."

"When Kaoru wakes up she'll get him out of whatever funk he's gotten himself into." Misao said firmly. "She's good at making people see sense… with a bokken if necessary."

That earned her a rare chuckle. "Indeed. I've seen the results of one of her 'persuasions.'" He looked away. "Hopefully she'll wake up before he wills himself into a coma."

"Don't worry." Misao repeated. "She always comes through."

Kaoru woke out of a light doze to the feel of fingers brushing her bangs out of her eyes. When she looked up she found Kenshin leaning over her with one elbow propped on the pillow as he ran his fingers through her hair.

His eyes were the color of antique gold as he looked down at her and his mouth was grim, otherwise Kaoru would have smiled to see him awake.

"You left." He said simply.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I… I didn't want you to be hurt." It was a weak defense, but it was the only one she had. Kenshin was the one thing she'd ever wanted for herself and the thought that he'd be killed defending her…

"Did you think it wouldn't hurt when I woke with my wife gone overseas to be sold as a whore?" he demanded. "Did you think it wouldn't _kill me_ if you'd died?" Kenshin's grip on her hair tightened, but not painfully so. "You swore to me and then you left… Kaoru, did you think that I couldn't protect you?"

"I…" Kaoru's throat went dry and she had to swallow. "Kenshin, you're… you're the only one I've ever wanted and you're the only one I'll ever want, but if anything happened to you because of me I couldn't have borne it." She touched his shoulder with trembling fingers. "It's been so long since I've been able to have something I wanted without having to see it torn away. You terrify me, Kenshin, because… I'm so afraid something will happen…" her voiced cracked and tears prickled at her eyes. Instantly her husband was there and kissing them away.

"Koi… when you swore…" he murmured between kisses. "Did you mean it? Or was that just making the most of your last few minutes?" He backed away and looked deep into her eyes as she answered.

"I meant it. I'm yours." Kaoru swallowed. "I was yours a long time ago."

"Then that means that you have to trust me to take care of you." Kenshin insisted. "If you can't… then this means nothing. I love you and I want to provide for you, but I can't do that if you won't let me."

"I… I don't know how…" Kaoru bit her lip. "I love you too, Kenshin. It frightens me how much I love you."

"Then let me show you, Kaoru." His eyes were flickering madly between amber and violet as though he could decide what emotion he was feeling. "Please, Koi. Let me?"

Kaoru licked her lips and smiled tentatively.

Then she nodded.

fin

End Chapter Eight

_Seiyuu: There's a epilogue to come, but it's pure fluffy lemon so I doubt it will be posted here. If you want it then go ahead and request it in your review (no, this isn't a plea for reviews) and I'll post it!_


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